Chicago Cubs infielder Alex Bregman is on the mend after taking a foul ball off his face during a game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, September 20.
Bregman, 32, shared a pair of photos to his Instagram Story to show the damage of the errant ball as he waits for X-ray and CT scan results.
In each photo, his left eye is swollen shut and the cheek below is bloodied and bruised. He also has gauze in his nose in one of the pictures, which he captioned, “Thanks for all the messages yall. I’ll be back.”
“He got hit in the left cheekbone essentially, under the eye,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told the media on Sunday. “I don’t know anything more than that right now. He was bleeding from his nose a little. There’s some swelling. It’s a terrible, terrible accident. We hope he’s OK.”
The incident happened in the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 9-1 win over the Reds in Cincinnati. Bregman was standing in the on-deck circle as lefty Michael Busch was at the plate. Busch, 28, hit a check-swing foul ball that struck Bregman, who immediately began clutching his face. Busch dropped to his knees as the ballpark went quiet and Cubs staff tended to Bregman, who was guided off the field moments later.
“It just happens so fast,” Busch said. “[Reds pitcher Luis Mey] is throwing the ball hard and it comes off hard. Any time it enters the head area, it’s always a scary thing. We try to focus on the game, but it’s tough. Hopefully he’s OK, first and foremost.”
The Cubs have not yet determined if Bregman will be ready to play when the team takes the field again on Tuesday, September 22, at home against the Miami Marlins.
“You know, we’ve got to get good results from the hospital,” Counsell said. “He got hit in the face [so] you’re worried just about his general wellbeing first. I want to get a good report first.”
Bregman is in the first year of a five-year, $175 million contract that he signed with the Cubs in January. He came to Chicago after regaining his All-Star form in his lone season with the Boston Red Sox in 2025.
“You just hope your friend is OK,” Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. “That’s the news that I’m hoping for. But scary stuff. Such a rarity.”
With the Cubs out of the division race and on the verge of clinching the playoffs anyway, the team can be cautious with Bregman as it jockeys for position in the wild card race. The MLB postseason begins on September 29.
