Alex Bregman left Sunday’s 9-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds after a foul ball struck him in the face while he was standing in the on-deck circle, turning a strong night into a medical concern for the Chicago Cubs. He exited before the game ended and was taken to the hospital for further testing.
The injury came after Bregman had already helped Chicago set the tone. He opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning, then drew a walk in the third and scored on Pedro Ramirez’s two-run single. But in the fourth inning, while Michael Busch was at the plate against Luis Mey, Bregman was hit and immediately jogged toward the Cubs’ dugout with a hand over his left eye.
Craig Counsell said Bregman had a cut under his left eye, was bleeding from his nose a little bit and looked pretty swollen. An athletic trainer escorted him down the dugout steps and into the clubhouse, where blood was visible on his face before he was sent to the hospital. Matt Shaw pinch-hit for him and went 0-for-2.
The loss of Bregman matters because he is one of the Cubs’ most productive bats, with 26 home runs and 89 RBI, second on the team behind Pete Crow-Armstrong. Chicago still beat the Reds 9-1, with Crow-Armstrong adding a two-run home run and David Peterson working six innings with three hits, one earned run and seven strikeouts. The hospital visit was for further testing, but the results were not provided, leaving the next question whether Bregman will be available when the Cubs play again.
