Alex Bregman ‘planning on playing,’ manager says, after grim eye injury

Barely two days after a foul ball caught him flush in the left eye and jeopardized his chances of playing in the postseason, Alex Bregman donned a helmet, grabbed a bat and tracked pitches off a machine.

Most notably, he was not placed on the injured list and Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters in Chicago that the club hopes he will play in the final regular season series this weekend in Boston, and perhaps the club’s opening-round playoff series in one week.

“I think Alex is going to be fine,” Counsell told reporters Tuesday, Sept. 22. “He’s planning on playing.”

The New York Yankees lead the pack by a wide margin with 27 World Series titles, the most championships in major American professional sports. They’re followed by the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won the Fall Classic 11 times, while the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers have catapulted into the No. 3 spot with their ninth championship − and third in the last five years − in 2025. Also tied for third-most World Series are the Boston Red Sox and the Athletics. The A’s former neighbors across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants, are fourth (eight championships). The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates round out the top five with five titles apiece. Here’s a complete ranking of every MLB club by World Series titles:

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The New York Yankees lead the pack by a wide margin with 27 World Series titles, the most championships in major American professional sports. They’re followed by the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won the Fall Classic 11 times, while the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers have catapulted into the No. 3 spot with their ninth championship − and third in the last five years − in 2025. Also tied for third-most World Series are the Boston Red Sox and the Athletics. The A’s former neighbors across the Bay, the San Francisco Giants, are fourth (eight championships). The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates round out the top five with five titles apiece. Here’s a complete ranking of every MLB club by World Series titles:

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New York Yankees – 27 titles (1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009)

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St. Louis Cardinals – 11 titles (1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006, 2011)

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Los Angeles Dodgers – 9 titles (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988, 2020, 2024, 2025)

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Boston Red Sox – 9 titles (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018)

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Athletics – 9 titles (1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989)

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San Francisco Giants – 8 titles (1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954, 2010, 2012, 2014)

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Pittsburgh Pirates – 5 titles (1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, 1979)

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Cincinnati Reds – 5 titles (1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990)

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Atlanta Braves – 4 titles (1914, 1957, 1995, 2021)

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Detroit Tigers – 4 titles (1935, 1945, 1968, 1984)

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Baltimore Orioles – 3 titles (1966, 1970, 1983)

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Chicago Cubs – 3 titles (1907, 1908, 2016)

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Chicago White Sox – 3 titles (1906, 1917, 2005)

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Minnesota Twins – 3 titles (1924, 1987, 1991)

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Cleveland Guardians – 2 titles (1920, 1948)

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Houston Astros – 2 titles (2017, 2022)

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Kansas City Royals – 2 titles (1985, 2015)

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Miami Marlins – 2 titles (1997, 2003)

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New York Mets – 2 titles (1969, 1986)

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Philadelphia Phillies – 2 titles (1980, 2008)

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Toronto Blue Jays – 2 titles (1992, 1993)

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Arizona Diamondbacks – 1 title (2001)

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Los Angeles Angels – 1 title (2002)

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Washington Nationals – 1 title (2019)

Bregman was last publicly seen Sunday, sprinting from the on-deck circle at Cincinnati‘s Great American Ball Park to the visiting clubhouse after a Michael Busch foul ball took one hop and drilled Bregman standing just a few yards away. An Instagram post showed how grim the damage was even as Bregman vowed a return.

The third baseman returned to Wrigley Field Tuesday, swelling in his face appearing to be down as he entered the stadium alongside baseball operations president Jed Hoyer. Eventually, he engaged in a light workout and headed to the club’s Trajekt pitching machine − which mimics the deliveries of opposing pitchers − and tracked pitches, Counsell said.

It’s a remarkable turnaround after a bloody and unsettling sequence just days earlier. The bigger questions − Can he swing? Will he be affected by a 100-mph fastball standing in the box? Is his face stable enough to play? − are still to come.

Yet for now, Bregman remains in play for the National League wild-card series that begins Tuesday, Sept. 29. The Cubs entered Sept. 22 needing just a win to clinch a spot, and they likely will host the Philadelphia Phillies in that best-of-three.