Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell believes star third baseman Alex Bregman could be back before the end of the regular season after being struck in the cheek by a foul ball Sunday.
"I think Alex is going to be fine," Counsell said Tuesday, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. "He's planning on playing."
Counsell added that the Cubs aren't thinking of putting Bregman on the injured list.
"All things considered, we feel like he's really lucky," Counsell said, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. "He had a tremendous amount of bad luck, obviously, just getting hit. But he's got multiple fractures in his left cheek area. None of them are to the point where the doctors deem surgery necessary or needed. So, he really is at a point where he can just progress as tolerated."
Bregman was seen walking to the batting cage Tuesday with a helmet that featured a full face guard. He's also been cleared to hit pitches off the Trajekt machine.
"He still has significant swelling in his face and his eye that needs to improve," Counsell said.
Alex Bregman posts an update on his Instagram https://t.co/v1YV29cIbS pic.twitter.com/zVFD4SBNSU
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 20, 2026
Bregman, who has 26 homers with 89 RBIs and 5.2 fWAR over 152 games in 2026, is in the first season of a five-year, $175-million deal he signed in January.
Chicago entered Tuesday's action tied with the San Diego Padres for the NL's top wild-card spot. The regular season ends Sept. 27 and the postseason starts Sept. 29.
