Nobody expected Alex Bregman to get hurt before he even stepped into the batter’s box. But that is exactly how his Sunday afternoon ended. A 97-mph fastball from Luis Mey caught Michael Busch’s bat on a check swing, and the foul ball shot straight toward the on-deck circle, striking Bregman in the face. The Cubs third baseman immediately left the game bleeding and was sent for X-rays and a CT scan, leaving Chicago waiting for answers.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Hours later, Bregman finally gave fans some reassurance himself. From the hospital, he posted an Instagram story showing the damage up close: a bruised face and badly swollen left eye.
“Thanks for all the messages yall. I’ll be back,” the caption read on that post.
Bregman was preparing for his next at-bat with Busch at the plate in the top of the fourth, with two outs, a 1-2 count, and the Cubs already leading the Reds 5-0, when the foul ball suddenly shot toward the on-deck circle and struck him on the left side of the face. As the broadcast captured the aftermath, the announcer said, “Alex Bregman, the on-deck man, immediately clutched around his left eye and forehead area,” before adding that he was “in obvious pain, doubled over” with both hands covering his face.
His helmet flew off on impact, and Bregman dropped his bat before heading toward the dugout with both hands covering his face. An athletic trainer quickly met him with a towel as blood ran from his nose and around his eye, and Bregman wiped his face before being helped through the tunnel for further medical attention.
Busch, meanwhile, was visibly shaken by what had happened and remained squatted near the plate for several moments after the ball struck his teammate.
“You never want to see that on the ball field. You can’t control any of that. It happened so fast,” he said in the postgame. “Any time [the ball] hits the head area, it’s scary. … You focus on the game, but it’s tough.”
Bregman was replaced with Matt Shaw after Busch completed a single in the next pitch. After the inning ended, Pedro Ramirez moved to third base to make room for Shaw at second.
Although Alex Bregman tried to offer a positive message to his team and his fans, they are still waiting for the test results.
“I don’t know anything more than that,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He had a cut under his eye. He was bleeding from his nose a little bit. It’s pretty swollen. It was below the eye… It’s just an unfortunate accident. I’m hoping and praying he is all right.”
Counsell made it clear that Bregman’s health comes first, but the baseball problem is obvious. If he misses time, Chicago loses a hitter batting .262 with an .804 OPS, 26 homers and 89 RBIs right in the middle of a playoff push.
Matt Shaw is the obvious replacement at third, with Pedro Ramírez another option. But replacing Bregman’s position is easier than replacing his production. The Cubs are off Monday before opening a three-game home series against Miami on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. CT, giving Bregman one extra day before Chicago has to decide whether Shaw takes over.