Cubs 3B Alex Bregman exits game vs. Reds after being struck in the face by foul ball

Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman left Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds after taking a foul ball to the face.

The scary incident occurred in the fourth inning, with Cubs first baseman Michael Busch up to bat and Bregman warming up in the on-deck circle. A pitch clipped Busch’s bat and headed for Bregman, hitting him in the face.

The collision, and its immediate aftermath, wasn’t initially visible on the broadcast. An alternate angle of the moment shows the ball hitting Bregman in the left side of the face, near his eye, before falling backwards. Later, Bregman was helped by trainers, clutching a towel to his face while doubled over in obvious pain.

Bregman’s face was clearly bleeding as he headed into the locker room, with the infielder appearing to sustained a laceration on his left cheek, near his left eye.

Alex Bregman was struck in the face by a foul ball while in the on-deck circle.

He was helped down the dugout steps with a towel to his face and was forced to exit the game. pic.twitter.com/ACj2a2ZEgT

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) September 20, 2026

Status alert: Alex Bregman (head) left Sunday’s game after being struck by foul ball in on-deck circle.pic.twitter.com/tFXqYAENsA

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 20, 2026

Bregman took a foul ball off the face while standing in the batter’s on-deck circle. Hard to tell exactly where it hit him in the face, but it looks gruesome, blood dripping everywhere. Looks like eye or nose area. Yikes, man. Really unfortunate. pic.twitter.com/6iFNhn2VKg

— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) September 20, 2026

Busch, quickly dropped his bat and squatted to the ground after the accidental contact, then finished the at-bat, getting a single. Bregman was replaced by Matt Shaw as a pinch hitter.

As the inning ended and the Cubs went back on defense, Shaw then stepped in at second base, with Pedro Ramirez moving over to fill Bregman’s role at third.

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