Alex Bregman took a foul ball off the left side of his face in Cincinnati on Sunday. The ball came off Michael Busch’s bat. The result was multiple facial fractures.
Five days later he is doing light workouts and the swelling is down. That is a remarkably good outcome for a remarkably bad-looking injury.
No Surgery, No Concussion, No Vision Issues
Bregman was examined at a Cincinnati hospital and then consulted with multiple specialists. The verdict came back better than anyone expected: no surgery required, no concussion, no vision problems.
He does have numbness on the left side of his face near the impact point, which is common with facial fractures and typically resolves over weeks. He described the hit as intense but said the pain has been manageable.
For a ball off the bat at that distance, that is close to a best-case scenario.
Craig Counsell Is Not Rushing Him
Counsell confirmed Bregman is doing well but stressed he still has to clear several stages before he plays. As of Wednesday, Bregman had not run and had not taken full fielding work.
The Boston series this weekend has not been ruled out, though that is not really the target. The actual goal is having him available for the postseason next week.
Counsell also floated designated hitter as a step before a return to third base, which is the sensible path. Fielding ground balls with numbness on one side of your face is not a great way to spend a Tuesday.
What Bregman Means to This Lineup
Chicago signed him to a five-year, $175 million deal and he has delivered: .262 with 26 home runs and an .804 OPS across 153 games in his first season as a Cub.
More than the raw numbers, he is the veteran presence in a lineup that has looked overmatched in big spots lately. The Cubs went 1-for-18 with runners in scoring position in one recent game against Miami and 1-for-8 the next.
Bregman has played in more meaningful October games than most of that clubhouse combined. That matters in a three-game series where every at-bat swings the leverage.
The Cubs Are Stacking Bad Luck
Bregman’s face, Kevin Gausman’s shoulder, and a lineup that has stopped hitting. All in the same week, with a magic number of one.
Chicago is going to make the playoffs. The question is what shape they arrive in, and right now the answer is “held together with tape.”
Give the Man Credit
Getting hit in the face by a baseball is the kind of thing that ends seasons and, for some players, changes how they stand in the box forever.
Bregman is talking about playing next week. He wants to be in the lineup when it counts, and the Cubs should let him get there.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.