Cubs somber after Alex Bregman's scary injury

CINCINNATI -- The Chicago Cubs were somber after they defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 9-1, at Great American Ball Park on Sunday because Chicago was thinking about third baseman Alex Bregman, who was hit in the face by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch. 

Bregman was injured in the fourth inning with two outs. With the count, 1-2, Busch checked his swing at a pitch thrown by Reds right-hander Luis Mey. The ball made contact with Busch's bat, however, and then hit Bregman while he was in the on-deck circle. Bregman then ran towards the end of the Cubs' dugout before finally going into the clubhouse to get looked at by the team’s trainer. 

Bregman was taken to a nearby hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, but the Cubs have yet to announce the seriousness of Bregman’s injury. 

“I don’t know anything more than that,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “He had a cut under his eye. He was bleeding from his nose a little bit. It’s pretty swollen. It was below the eye. I honestly thought it hit him in the nose. I thought he had a broken nose, but I knew it hit him somewhere in the face. It’s just an unfortunate accident. I’m hoping and praying he is all right.

“We have to get good results from the hospital first. [Bregman] got hit in the face, so you are worried about his general well-being first. If we get a good report, we’ll move to the next step. I want to get a good report.”

Bregman is in his first season with the Cubs after signing a five-year, $175 million contract last January. He is having a productive season with the Cubbies, slashing .262/.352/.452 with 26 home runs and 89 RBI.            

Before Sunday’s game, Bregman spoke to Yardbarker about his first season with the Cubs.

"The first half didn’t start out how I wanted it. (I) kept fighting. (I) trusted the process,” Bregman said. “I felt like myself over the last two months. That’s what I expect from myself. I’ve also been super thrilled to be in a position to continue to play postseason baseball, play meaningful games in October. I’ve been fortunate to do that every year of my career, which I don’t take lightly. I’m happy that we put ourselves in the position, so far, to be in.”

Bregman even had a word to say about teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong. To Bregman, PCA is the National League Most Valuable Player, and he has the stats to back it up. 

Entering Tuesday’s action against the Marlins, Crow-Armstrong is leading the Majors with 10.5 wins above replacement (per FanGraphs) and 118 runs scored. He could also become the seventh player in MLB history to reach the 40-40 plateau. 

“He has been the best player in the sport.  It’s not even close,” Bregman said about PCA.   

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.