Chicago Cubs: Year one of Alex Bregman is in the books

It appears Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman’s regular season is over. Per Jeff Passan, he suffered multiple facial fractures, and the team is hopeful he will return for the postseason. Bregman has been posting pictures of his swollen face on social media, with one eye completely swollen shut.

Chicago Cubs star Alex Bregman suffered multiple facial fractures after being struck by a foul ball while standing in the on-deck circle Sunday, sources tell ESPN. Bregman will not undergo surgery and is hopeful to return in the postseason.

Time will tell if he returns in the playoffs, but either way, his regular season stats are now final. After such a rough start, Bregman rebounded midseason and put together a campaign worth $26.3 million. In 153 games, he slashed .262/.352/.452 with 26 homers, 89 RBI, .804 OPS, 124 wRC+, and was a 5.2 fWAR player (fourth-highest in a season in his career).

Tell any Cubs fan before the season starts that those are his numbers by the end of the year, and they are likely very satisfied.

May 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman (3) celebrates after a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As mentioned, the first half of Bregman’s tenure in Chicago was brutal. He wasn’t driving the ball or delivering timely hits. While his plate discipline was good, and thus his OBP remained consistently respectable, his overall production lacked. By July 10th, Bregman was hitting just .235/.333/.338 with a .670 OPS, seven homers, and 35 RBI in 92 games. That accounted for 60% of his season.

Over the last 40% of his season, he hit .301/.382/.623 with a 1.006 OPS, 19 homers, and 54 RBI in 61 games. It’s much better when the slugging percentage starts with a 6 rather than the OPS. From July 11th through September 21st, Bregman posted the highest wRC+ in baseball (174) and trailed just teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong in RBI, slug, and fWAR (3.7) accumulated. He was third in homers behind Crow-Armstrong and Fernando Tatis Jr.

He worked hard to make the appropriate adjustments, and they paid off big time. What arguably stands out the most is the power surge. He was hitting so many weak pop-ups early in the year; through July 10th, he had the second-highest infield fly ball percentage (20.3%) in baseball and one of the lowest slugging percentages. Once he started straightening things out, more fly balls turned into line drive homers.

In the end, his surge turned a huge disappointment into a very good season. He played like an MVP in the second half and was key in winning games while the pitching struggled. It’s just a shame this fluky injury had to happen.