Alex Bregman back in action for the Cubs after multiple facial fractures from a foul ball

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman was back in the Chicago Cubs' lineup, five days after he sustained facial fractures when struck on the face in the on-deck circle.

Bregman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout as a designated hitter Friday in a 4-3 loss to Boston in a doubleheader opener.

“I'm excited for the postseason — I'm looking forward to it. I feel like today was, ‘Let’s get some at-bats and get back to it,'” Bregman said. “Getting into the swing of things, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't thinking anything about my face, and I all wanted to do was think about playing the game of baseball. And that was good. I didn't think about it one time.”

He was hurt at Cincinnati last Sunday, sustaining several fractures from the ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch. Bregman missed three games.

“The mechanics were terrible today. So hopefully fix those and get back to crushing it,” said Bregman, who is batting .260 with 26 homers and 89 RBIs.

A two-time World Series champion, Bregman will be playing in his 10th straight postseason since missing out as a rookie with Houston in 2016. He said he's not concerned over Chicago's opponent for the best-of-three first round matchup, which starts Tuesday.

"We've got to go play good baseball. We've got to play winning baseball," Bregman said. “Whether it's at home or on the road it comes down to us executing on both sides of the ball.”

The three-time All-Star spent the 2025 season with the Red Sox, became a free agent and signed a $175 million, five-year contract with Chicago.

Being back in Boston is meaningful for him.

“It felt great. So many lifelong friends,” Bregman said. “Memories and friendships that I'll cherish forever and obviously playing here is so special. Loved playing here. Fans here are awesome. So, great experience.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Bregman's quick return is a “testament to his toughness” and “desire to play baseball.”

“He feels up to going and the doctors said he can go," Counsell said. “It's a freak injury, an injury we don't deal with very often. ... So you're unaware of the risks and things like that. 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 them move forward.”

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