Cubs expect Alex Bregman back for playoffs after foul ball to face - ESPN

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are confident third baseman Alex Bregman will be ready for the postseason after getting hit in the face by a foul ball Sunday — and are not ruling him out for this weekend's series in Boston against the Red Sox.

Bregman, 32, suffered multiple fractures in his cheek, though none will require surgery, allowing for a quicker recovery. He posted photos of himself with a black eye and swollen cheek to his Instagram story after the incident but was able to «move around» and even get a workout in Tuesday, according to manager Craig Counsell.

«All things considered, he's really lucky,» Counsell said. «He's completely himself. He can't sit still. He's all over the room. Those are really good signs.»

Bregman has been a huge part of the Cubs' offense in the second half after a slow start to his season, ranking fourth in OPS among qualified players since the All-Star break. As the swelling around his cheek subsides in the coming days, the Cubs are hopeful he'll be back on the field.

«Most of the significant bad things have been avoided,» president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. «Now it's a matter of tolerance and healing.»

Bregman was standing in the grass several feet in front of the on-deck circle when he was hit by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch in the fourth inning Sunday at Cincinnati. He was pulled from the game and sent to a local hospital but was back in Chicago later that night.

By Tuesday, the swelling under his left eye had gone down.

«We'd like to protect it as much as we can,» Counsell said. «We have to explore what that looks like.»

Bregman will need to run the bases, field ground balls and of course take batting practice before returning to game action. All of that