Alex Bregman Returns to Cubs Lineup Days After Fracturing Face
Bob Nightengale reported Bregman's return to the lineup.
Getting hit in the face with a baseball usually means a liquid diet and a month of avoiding mirrors. For , it apparently just means taking four days off before clocking back in for a playoff push.
According to Bob Nightengale, is officially returning to the ' lineup on Friday. This comes less than a week after he took a stray foul ball to the face while standing in the on-deck circle against the , suffering multiple facial fractures.
He avoided surgery, but his left eye was swollen shut and he told reporters his face has been numb. Most people call out of work for a mild sinus headache. is slotting in as the designated hitter and batting third for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the at Fenway Park.
The Cubs desperately need him to produce. just dropped two out of three games to the , stalling their late push for an NL Wild Card spot. You do not rush a guy with a broken face back into the heart of the order unless the season is on the line, and anyone looking at the National League playoff odds knows the margin for error is completely gone.
brings a .262 average, 26 home runs, and 89 RBIs to a lineup that has been sputtering at the worst possible time. He also brings a ridiculous streak of a decade straight of playoff appearances, a streak he clearly has no intention of snapping just because his cheekbone is currently in a few extra pieces.
We will see how his timing looks against pitching after a few days of hitting off a machine with a bloodshot eye. If he starts mashing immediately, the might just have the spark they need to survive the wild card race, and will have secured his status as an absolute lunatic in the best way possible.