Bregman Hospitalized After Taking a Foul Ball to the Face

Alex Bregman was struck in the face by a foul ball during the Cubs' win and was taken to a hospital for evaluation of an eye injury. No further update has been made available.

The timing is brutal. Bregman has been the most dependable bat in this lineup all season — .301/.376/.520 with 13 home runs in 65 games — and the Cubs have 13 games left to protect a playoff spot. The depth chart at third base runs to Pedro Ramírez and Matt Shaw. That's the hand they're playing now.

This roster has been absorbing losses all year. Eleven players are currently on the injured list, nine of them on the 60-day. The pitching staff is held together with tape. What Bregman provided was a daily constant — a professional at-bat, a reliable presence in the middle of the order — in a lineup that has gone cold for stretches without warning. Losing that, even temporarily, removes the one thing the offense could count on.

The Cubs are still in a playoff spot. But they are 14-16 over their last 30 games, and the margin for absorbing another blow is essentially gone.