The Chicago Cubs received what looked to be a positive Alex Bregman injury update on Monday afternoon, but it should come with a giant grain of salt. Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Bregman suffered several facial fractures when he was struck by a foul ball over the weekend while standing near the on-deck circle. Bregman immediately left the game and was taken to a local hospital for testing.
After receiving multiple x-rays and the like, Bregman posted on his social media that he will be back. He did not specify as to when, but Passan's report suggests the Cubs believe he can make a return sometime this postseason.
Chicago Cubs star Alex Bregman suffered multiple facial fractures after being struck by a foul ball while standing in the on-deck circle Sunday, sources tell ESPN. Bregman will not undergo surgery and is hopeful to return in the postseason.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 21, 2026
When will Alex Bregman return to the Cubs lineup?
The Cubs will start their postseason in the NL Wild Card round, as they cannot win the NL Central — that honor went to the Brewers, who are on pace to win 100 games — but currently hold the first NL Wild Card spot. This means they could host one of the Padres or Phillies, assuming results hold. That's good news for a team that could be without one of its clubhouse leaders in Bregman.
There's a reason Passan's report expressed that Bregman could return at some point "this postseason." Passan is very good at his job, and certainly doesn't want to mislead Cubs fans. Neither do the Cubs, frankly. The report does not say Bregman will be back for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series, which would be a miraculous recovery.
What the Cubs lineup would look like without Alex Bregman
If Bregman is forced to miss some time — which seems more likely than not given it takes the average person 6-8 weeks to heal from facial fracutres, and Bregman has several of those — the Cubs will have to find a suitable replacement for him in the lineup. It helps the Cubs have scored the most runs in baseball, but Bregman played a major role in that success hitting right behind Pete Crow-Armstrong. If Bregman misses time, here's what the lineup could look like.
Position | Player |
|---|---|
CF | Pete Crow-Armstrong |
RF | Seiya Suzuki |
1B | Michael Busch |
LF | Ian Happ |
SS | Nico Hoerner |
DH | Michael Conforto |
C | Carson Kelly |
2B | Pedro Ramirez |
3B | Matt Shaw |
In this version of the Cubs lineup, Seiya Suzuki moves up to the No. 2 spot to provide PCA some protection. Suzuki actually has a higher OPS than Bregman. In place of Bregman, the Cubs will start former top prospect Matt Shaw at third base. Shaw replaced Bregman over the weekend when he was injured.
Chicago has a few options here, including Gabriel Arias, or moving Pedro Ramirez over to third base and starting a new middle infielder in his traditional second base spot. Either way, Cubs fans should not count on Bregman playing much early in the playoffs. If they're lucky, his return could be an added bonus.
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