The Chicago Cubs are not planning to place All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman on the injured list after he suffered facial fractures from a foul ball, manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
The decision keeps Bregman on the active roster through the final week of the regular season and preserves flexibility if swelling around his left eye recedes in time for the postseason.
Bregman was struck Sunday in the fourth inning of a 9-1 win at Cincinnati when teammate Michael Busch checked his swing on a 97 mph fastball from Reds right-hander Luis Mey. The ball skipped off the dirt and hit Bregman in the face as he stood several feet in front of the on-deck circle.
The impact knocked off Bregman’s helmet. He covered the left side of his face, left the field with athletic trainers and was taken to a local hospital for X-rays and a CT scan.
“It’s the left cheekbone, essentially, under the eye,” Counsell said Sunday. “I don’t know anything more than that right now. He had a cut under his eye. He was bleeding from his nose a little bit. He’s pretty swollen.”
Sources later told ESPN that Bregman sustained multiple facial fractures, will not need surgery and is hopeful to play in October. Vision and swelling remain the central issues.
Bregman returned to Chicago by car rather than flying with the club. He posted photos of a blackened, swollen left eye on Instagram and wrote, “Thanks for all the messages yall. I’ll be back.” A follow-up message Monday morning said, “Back in Chicago.”
Counsell called the play “an unfortunate accident, a terrible accident,” adding, “Hoping and praying he’s OK.”
Busch, who finished the at-bat after the ball struck his teammate, said the sequence unfolded too quickly to process.
“It just happened so fast,” Busch said. “He’s throwing the ball hard. It comes off hard. Anytime it enters the head area, it’s always a scary thing.”
Bregman is out of Tuesday’s lineup against the Miami Marlins. Rookie Pedro Ramírez is expected to start at third base, with Matt Shaw also available. The Cubs can operate a player short for six remaining regular season games rather than open a 10-day injured-list clock that could complicate a possible Wild card series starting Sept. 29.
The 32-year-old signed a five-year, $175 million free-agent contract in January. He is batting .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs in 153 games, ranking second on the club in both homers and RBIs behind Pete Crow-Armstrong.
After a modest first half, Bregman surged following the All-Star break, hitting .296 with 17 homers and 48 RBIs in 59 games. Over his last 25 games he batted .290 with seven home runs.
Chicago entered Tuesday 87-69, tied with the San Diego Padres for the National League’s top Wild Card spot and one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Arizona Diamondbacks sit four games out.
A Cubs win over Miami or a Diamondbacks loss would clinch Chicago’s first postseason berth since 2020. The Cubs then host Miami on Wednesday and Thursday before finishing the regular season with three games at Boston.
Keeping Bregman off the injured list does not guarantee an October return. It does keep the two-time World Series champion in the mix if the swelling drops and doctors clear his vision.
For a team built around Crow-Armstrong’s power-speed season and a late-summer charge, Bregman’s availability could shape seeding and the first round. For now, Counsell’s message was measured: the Cubs will wait, and they will not close the door.
