Alex Bregman undergoing x-rays and CT scan after foul ball strike to the face

Alex Bregman left Sunday's game in Cincinnati after a foul ball struck him in the face while he stood in the on-deck circle, and the Cubs are now waiting on x-rays and a CT scan to learn the full extent of the damage. The timing — with Chicago on the edge of clinching a postseason berth — makes an already uncomfortable situation considerably more fraught.

What happened

During a fourth-inning plate appearance by Michael Busch, a Busch foul ball deflected off the ground and into Bregman's face, per MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk. Bregman left the game immediately. Postgame, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters — including the Chicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro — that Bregman sustained a bloody nose, a cut on his left cheekbone, and significant swelling. Bregman is undergoing x-rays and a CT scan at a Cincinnati hospital, and a more complete picture of his condition is not yet available.

Polishuk noted that the ball did bounce once before reaching Bregman's face, though Bregman's visible discomfort was such that, per the report, it would be very fortunate if he escaped with only cosmetic damage.

Why it matters

The Cubs won the game 9-1, keeping Chicago atop the NL wild card race. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Chicago could clinch a postseason berth as early as Sunday if the Diamondbacks lose to the Yankees. That context makes the uncertainty around Bregman's health particularly pointed: the Cubs are potentially days away from the playoffs, and their third baseman is in a Cincinnati hospital awaiting scan results.

Per MLB Trade Rumors, the worst-case scenario is a serious concussion or a facial fracture that would remove Bregman from postseason consideration entirely. In that event, the report identifies Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez as the Cubs' options at third base. That is described as a workable Plan B — but not a preferred one, given what Bregman has meant to this team, especially over the second half of the season.

On the other end of the spectrum, if Bregman has avoided serious injury, the report notes the Cubs might simply sit him without placing him on the injured list. The reasoning is mechanical: a minimum 10-day IL stint, under general league rules, would stretch into the postseason. The club's stated priority in the final week of the regular season, per the report, is getting everyone healthy for October rather than chasing seeding.

The numbers

Before leaving Sunday's game, Bregman reached base twice in his two plate appearances — a performance that fits the rhythm of what has been a strong second half. Per MLB Trade Rumors, since the All-Star break he has slashed .293/.373/.598 across 260 plate appearances, a stretch that has lifted his full-season line to .260/.350/.451 with 26 home runs and a 123 wRC+.

The first half told a slower story. Bregman entered the break at .241/.336/.359 over 431 plate appearances — a stretch that, given the seven-year, $175MM free-agent deal he reportedly reached this past winter, generated its share of quiet concern. The second half has answered most of those questions. Whether he is available to carry that form into October is now the open question.

Where the club stands

The Cubs are 87-69 (.558), sitting second in the NL Central — eliminated from the division race and 10.5 games back — but holding the top spot in the NL wild card picture, +1.0 relative to the cut line. Chicago is riding a two-game winning streak.

Per MLB Trade Rumors, the Cubs would prefer to finish as the fourth seed and earn home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series, though the report frames the final week's real objective as health. The Cubs do not play again until Tuesday, September 22, when they open a three-game home series against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. That gap is relevant: per MLB Trade Rumors, the results of Bregman's tests might not be known until Counsell addresses the media before that Tuesday game.

The Marlins series runs through Thursday, September 24, with probable pitchers listed as Janson Junk, Ryan Gusto, and Tyler Phillips for Miami. Chicago's starters for those games are listed as TBD.

What we don't know yet

The central unknown is straightforward: what the x-rays and CT scan show. Until Counsell speaks before Tuesday's game — or the Cubs make a separate announcement — the severity of Bregman's injury remains unresolved. MLB Trade Rumors preserves that uncertainty explicitly, and so does this desk.

Also unresolved is whether the Cubs would place Bregman on the injured list at all, even if the scans reveal something significant. The 10-day IL math, as the report lays out, creates a real tension between protecting a player and preserving his postseason eligibility. There is also a 7-day concussion IL under general league rules, which carries its own timeline and procedures — though no diagnosis has been reported, and attaching any specific IL designation to Bregman at this point would go beyond what the material supports.

The day before Sunday's game, the Cubs had reinstated Dansby Swanson from the 10-day IL after he missed roughly five weeks with an oblique strain, returning the shortstop for the final stretch. The roster picture the Cubs were assembling heading into the postseason looked, briefly, like it was coming together. Sunday's on-deck circle incident complicated that picture in a hurry.

What to watch

The most immediate thing to monitor is Counsell's pregame availability before Tuesday's game against Miami. That is the earliest point, per MLB Trade Rumors, at which test results and a clearer prognosis might be shared publicly. Whether the Cubs make any roster move before then — or whether they hold off given the 10-day IL calculus — is the secondary thread.

Also worth watching: the Diamondbacks-Yankees result that could clinch Chicago's postseason berth as early as Sunday, per the report. The Cubs may be celebrating a playoff spot and managing a significant injury concern at the same time. That is not an unusual place for a contender to find itself in late September, but it is rarely comfortable.

Justin Steele, meanwhile, completed what was described as his best rehab outing yet — his fourth — with next steps for his return still to be determined, per earlier reporting. The Cubs are navigating a lot of moving parts in the final days of the regular season, and the Bregman situation just became the most urgent one.