Alex Bregman’s injury on the on-deck circle brought back a painful memory for Cardinals fans almost immediately.
The Cubs third baseman was struck near the left eye by a foul ball as he stood waiting to hit, a scary scene unfolding while Chicago moved toward clinching a postseason berth. Even before the full extent of the damage is known, the moment carried an ugly sense of déjà vu for anyone in St. Louis who remembers what happened to Juan Encarnación.
Encarnación entered 2007 as the Cardinals’ starting right fielder and was batting .283 with a .769 OPS on Aug. 31 when disaster struck. While taking practice swings before his turn, he was hit near the left eye by a foul ball off Aaron Miles. The impact shattered his orbital bone, fractured the eye socket in several places and left him with a concussion.
Cardinals medical director George Paletta didn’t soften the blow, calling it "the worst trauma I've ever seen," and Encarnación never played again after losing a significant amount of vision in his left eye.
That injury sits among a series of painful moments Cardinals fans had to absorb through the 2000s and 2010s. The deaths of Oscar Taveras, Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock all shook the organization, and in Taveras’ case, may have sped up the franchise’s decline.
There was also the strange, abrupt turn in Rick Ankiel’s career, when a pitching breakdown ended what had looked like a brilliant future on the mound. He later reinvented himself as an outfielder with a cannon arm, and that twist of fate was part of the backdrop when Encarnación was eventually pushed out of the starting job.
With Bregman’s prognosis still unknown, there is at least one small detail that may matter: the ball bounced before it hit him, which likely meant less force than the direct blast Encarnación took 19 years earlier. Even so, Cardinals fans would do well to remember the fear that settled over the fanbase then and avoid treating Bregman’s misfortune like anything to cheer.
Some moments in baseball carry more weight than the standings. However fans feel about the Cubs, or about Bregman himself, this is one of those times to hope the injury turns out to be minor and that his future in the game is not altered. Cardinals fans have lived through this before.
In Other News...
Rival Manager Sees Something In The Cardinals Fans Can't Ignore
Even with the 2026 season rolling along as a struggle, there is still outside belief that the Cardinals are not nearly as far off as the mood around them might suggest. Giants manager Tony Vitello offered a surprisingly upbeat read on the clubs direction, pointing to Oliver Marmols work and the presence of Alec Burleson as reasons to think the organization has a real base to build on, even as attendance has sagged and the roster still shows obvious holes.
The larger question for St. Louis is whether that optimism can be turned into something tangible soon enough to matter to a frustrated fan base. The Cardinals have leaned into a younger roster under Chaim Blooms rebuild, and the next step is finding answers in the places that have hurt them most, including the bullpen. Vitellos view cuts against the local gloom, but it also underscores the reality that the Cardinals still have work to do before the promise starts looking like progress. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Make A Late Season Masyn Winn Decision Fans Will Notice
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Masyn Winn is the notable name absent from the starting lineup, with Thomas Saggese sliding in at shortstop instead. For a club that has leaned on Winns glove all year, the decision is one fans will notice right away, and it adds another layer to a night that already feels more about evaluation than results. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Season Ended Because One Problem Never Got Fixed
The Cardinals had enough pieces to hang around in the race for a while, with the offense and starting rotation doing their part well enough to keep the season from slipping away too early. But as the second half wore on, the same weakness kept showing up in the late innings, and St. Louis never solved the problem that had been hanging over the roster for months.
The bullpen finished 24th in ERA and was tied for third in blown saves, a combination that kept turning close games into missed chances. By the time the Cardinals closed out a 75-80 season and were eliminated from playoff contention, it was clear their deeper issues were not about getting on base or starting games well enough. It was about finishing them. [Read more 🡒]