The playoff picture is taking shape, but a few of October’s biggest names are still working their way back from injury, and the timing could matter a lot.
For the Cubs, the latest blow came in the strangest possible way. Third baseman Alex Bregman was hit in the face by a foul ball on Sunday after drifting out of the on-deck circle and into the path of a ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch.
He was diagnosed with multiple facial fractures, though the Cubs did not place him on the injured list. Bregman even posted a photo on Instagram showing what happened immediately after the injury.
The loss stings because Bregman has been one of the hottest hitters in the league over the last two months. Since the start of August, he has been one of only five players with at least 15 homers, and his bat has been a major reason the Cubs are virtually assured of a postseason berth while still battling for the top wild-card spot in the NL.
There is at least a chance he’s back soon. The Cubs are heading into a crucial season-ending series against the Red Sox in Boston, and Bregman told reporters yesterday he planned to take the field this weekend.
He even said he hoped to get a pinch-hitting chance in last night’s game, though he ultimately didn’t play. With a nor’easter also bearing down on Boston, the Cubs are staring at a messy finish.
The Dodgers got a much-needed boost yesterday when Shohei Ohtani came off the injured list after missing the last two weeks with right biceps inflammation. He went back into his usual DH spot, then finished 1-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts in a 5-1 loss to the Padres.
Getting Ohtani back is one thing. Getting the version of Ohtani the Dodgers expected all along is another.
He has an .821 OPS since the beginning of July, a noticeable dip from the .954 mark he carried through the end of June and the 1.025 he posted in his first two seasons with the Dodgers. His offensive downturn started around the same time he was shut down from pitching because of the right biceps injury and a left knee issue.
The Yankees, meanwhile, already have the top wild-card spot in the AL locked up. The question now is when Aaron Judge will return. Judge missed more than three months earlier this season because of a stress fracture in one of his ribs, came back briefly, then strained a muscle in his calf on Sept. 16 and went back on the IL.
The team has kept the details of that latest injury close to the vest. Manager Aaron Boone declined to say what grade of strain Judge had been diagnosed with, though he did say Monday that the Yankees were not expecting him to play in the wild-card round.
Judge, though, said yesterday that he plans to play in the opening series, which starts Tuesday in the Bronx. Boone did not shut the door on the possibility that Judge could be cleared.
The roster release next week should answer the question.
Boston may have a weapon of its own waiting in the wings. Garrett Crochet, the 2025 Cy Young runner-up, has been out since late April with a shoulder injury, but he threw live batting practice for the first time on Tuesday and is expected to do it again this weekend.
If he makes it back, the Red Sox do not expect him to rejoin the rotation. They’d like him available as an extra bullpen arm, especially with a likely opening-round matchup against the Yankees and their lineup full of left-handed bats.
There were plenty of notable moments around the league last night, too. A young Orioles fan made an impressive catch on a home run.
Brett Baty delivered a pinch-hit grand slam for the Mets against the Rangers. Josh Naylor hit a walk-off single for the Mariners against the Astros, keeping Seattle barely alive in the AL West, four games behind Houston and Texas.
Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana made a diving hustle play to get the out at first. Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman also made a diving effort to tag a runner trying to reach third, though he had to leave the game with a shoulder injury.
Elsewhere, Michael Penix Jr. is set to make his season debut for a Falcons team that scored just eight points in its first two games with Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Packers are trying to rebound from a sloppy start and win their home opener.
Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell, who spent six seasons on Coastal Carolina’s staff, will return to Brooks Stadium in the first meeting between those teams since 2020. And in the postseason race, Minnesota has already clinched the No. 1 seed, while Indiana can lock up a first-round matchup with Atlanta by winning; a loss could send the Fever into an opening series against defending champion Las Vegas.
In Other News...
Cubs Wild Card Rotation Suddenly Hinges On One Concerning Injury
Kevin Gausmans status has suddenly become one of the biggest questions hanging over the Cubs as they look ahead to the postseason. The right-hander hurt his left shoulder while making a defensive play against the Miami Marlins, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed the injury after the game. Gausman later said the shoulder felt weak afterward, which is hardly the kind of update a team wants to hear with October approaching.
Now the Cubs are left to wait and see how the next few days unfold. His availability for the postseason will depend on how the shoulder responds, and that puts extra attention on a rotation spot that looked a lot more settled before this setback. For a team trying to line up its pitching for a Wild Card run, the timing of the injury makes the coming monitoring period especially important. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cubs Architect Is Suddenly Back In A Front Office Spotlight
Jason McLeod, a familiar name from the Cubs rebuild years, has popped back into the front-office conversation in a way that should catch the attention of anyone who watched Chicago climb from a long-term project into a contender. Now a special assistant and vice president of baseball operations with the Arizona Diamondbacks, McLeod was mentioned in an anonymous MLB agent survey as a preferred candidate for a general manager job, with the responses grouping him alongside other executives and managers as a strong leadership fit.
For Cubs fans, it is a reminder that the people who helped shape that era are still getting noticed around the industry. There has been no confirmed move or official job opening tied to McLeod, and his future at the top of an MLB front office remains speculative for now, but the mention alone is enough to put him back on the radar in a league that is always searching for the next well-regarded operator. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Clinched October But Their Biggest Wild Card Fight Remains
The Cubs have already checked the biggest box by punching their ticket to October for the second straight season, and they did it with a 2-1 win over the Marlins that kept them firmly in the postseason picture. But even with a playoff berth secured, there is still plenty at stake over the final stretch, because Chicago is headed for the Wild Card round and remains locked in a tight race for the best possible seeding.
Midseason moves were made to steady the pitching and give this roster a better chance to survive the grind of a short series, and those decisions now look even more important. The Cubs also hold tiebreakers over the Padres and Phillies, a potentially valuable edge if the race stays this close, which means the standings around them could matter just as much as anything happening inside Wrigley over the next few days. [Read more 🡒]