For the first time since his gruesome eye injury in Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman spoke to the media. The 33-year-old suffered the injury after taking a foul ball to the face on Sunday.
“Every day has been better,” said Bregman on Marquee Sports Network. “Super thankful to the training staff here and the doctors that have been helping out.”
Bregman will avoid the injured list and hopes to be in the lineup for the Wild Card Series. If he can play again before the regular season ends, that’s a huge boost to the Cubs’ spirits.
Bregman carries .262/.352/.452 slash with 26 home runs and a 124 wRC+ in his first season in Chicago. Thanks to his presence, the club carries one of the best hitting and defensive lineups in MLB this season.
Cubs Star Alex Bregman Makes First Statements Since Injury
Alex Bregman suffered facial fractures from the foul ball. He said that the fracture occurred near a nerve, so the left side of his face is “a little bit numb”. He said that as the swelling has gone down, he’s felt more pain from the fractures.
“All in all, super lucky that it hit where it hit,” said Bregman. “Cause if it hit a few centimeters higher, it could have been detrimental.”
Despite the injury, Bregman has progressed to start phasing back into his normal routine. He sports a black eye on the left side of his face, where he got hit by the foul ball.
“Pretty much a normal workday. I’ll probably little bit hit then hit off Trajekt today. Yesterday, I just tracked off Trajeckt, so hopefully hit off Trajekt today.”
Bregman said he’ll work on his throwing, but he’ll wait another day before taking in ground balls. He also said he’ll test out some different helmets. He has not worn a face guard in his career.
He’ll take his recovery one step at a time. He’s hoping to get back in the game despite being out of the lineup. Currently, Pedro Ramirez is starting at third base against the Marlins.
Cubs Right Now
The Cubs can clinch a postseason berth with a win against the Miami Marlins, thanks to tiebreakers over the other three Wild Card hopefuls. They failed to punch their ticket the previous game, as they fell in extra innings to the Marlins.
They’re aiming for more than just simply qualifying for the postseason. Chicago is in the driver’s seat for hosting the Wild Card Series for the second straight October. Their tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres gives them a serious edge.
The Cubs certainly will want a deeper postseason run than last year. They pushed the National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers to a fifth game in the National League Division Series before running out of gas.
Their magic number to make the Wild Card Series come through them is 5.
Cubs Star Alex Bregman Makes First Statement Following Horrific Face Injury