By Salem Chicago News Staff
BOSTON — September 26, 2026
Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman returned to the starting lineup Friday at Fenway Park, less than a week after sustaining multiple facial fractures from a foul ball that struck him in the on-deck circle.
Bregman was slotted as the designated hitter and batted third in the order for Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Red Sox. He went hitless in four plate appearances but put the ball in play three times.
“It’s incredible,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before the 4-3 loss.
Bregman was injured Sept. 20 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Teammate Michael Busch checked his swing and fouled off a pitch from Reds pitcher Luis Mey. Bregman, standing in the on-deck circle, had little time to react. He grabbed his face immediately and was taken to a local hospital.
The 32-year-old posted a photo on Instagram showing his bruised, bloodied face with his left eye swollen shut. In the caption, he declared, “I’ll be back.”
He delivered on that promise faster than expected.
“It felt like I got hit by a baseball bat to the face, pretty much,” Bregman said earlier in the week. “I guess I fractured something right by the nerve in my face, so the left side of my face has been a little bit numb.”
Doctors cleared Bregman after he showed no concussion symptoms, passed vision testing and was deemed not to require surgery. He began tracking pitches on a high-velocity machine Tuesday, advanced to hitting Wednesday and completed running drills Thursday.
On Thursday night, as the Cubs celebrated clinching a playoff berth, Bregman stayed to the side at his locker, protected from the champagne spray by plastic sheeting.
Counsell said the third baseman was “itching to get in” the clincher against the Marlins.
“There were a lot of unknowns,” Counsell said. “It was a freak injury. It’s an injury that we don’t deal with very often. There are risks. And we’ve talked to Alex about that, but I think we’ve done the best we can to minimize them and just move forward.”
Bregman planned to wear a modified helmet to guard against setbacks. His return provides a significant boost for a Cubs team heading into a Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres beginning Tuesday.
Through 153 games, Bregman has batted .262 with 26 home runs, 32 doubles, 89 RBIs and an .804 OPS in his first season under a five-year, $175 million contract. He has posted a .978 OPS since the All-Star break.
“Look, Alex’s best trait is just, the man loves baseball,” Counsell said. “And he’s super competitive. And he’s relentless in his pursuit to be a little bit better. And so, that just rubs off on people.”
With his return, Bregman is on the cusp of playing in the postseason for a 10th consecutive season. The Wild Card Series opens Tuesday in San Diego.
