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Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman pushing for regular-season return after foul ball injury

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Cohen, J. (2026, September 23). Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman pushing for regular-season return after foul ball injury. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/cubs-third-baseman-alex-bregman-pushing-for-regular-season-return-after-foul-ball-injury/article_3a11e626-cad0-501a-820d-4c78c7ae4544.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-23 · by Jay Cohen

Quick Summary

Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman may return for the remainder of the regular season after sustaining multiple facial fractures when hit by a foul ball on Sunday. Manager Craig Counsell reported that Bregman completed light exercises on Tuesday but noted significant swelling in his face and eye. The team is optimistic about his recovery, with president Jed Hoyer stating they are taking it one step at a time. Bregman's return would be crucial for the Cubs' playoff chances as he bats .262 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs this season.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Sunday during a game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman was hit by a foul ball in the face while standing near the on-deck circle. The incident caused significant injury to his left cheekbone under his eye, resulting in bleeding from his nose and visible swelling. After being taken for X-rays and CT scans at a local hospital, it was determined that Bregman sustained multiple facial fractures but did not require surgery.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell expressed concern about the severity of the accident, emphasizing that such injuries to the head area are always scary. Despite the initial shock, medical staff cleared Bregman to travel back to Chicago with the team later that night. Following a series of doctor’s appointments and a light workout in the weight room on Tuesday, there are no immediate plans to place him on the injured list.

Bregman is optimistic about his recovery and hopes to return for the postseason, aiming even to participate in the regular season's final games if possible. His performance this year has been crucial, with a batting average of .262 and 26 home runs among his contributions. With the Cubs currently tied for the top wild card spot, Bregman’s timely return could be pivotal as they compete for playoff spots.

Written for “Bregman Foul Ball Injury” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Bregman Foul Ball Injury
Sports · 9 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 4 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The first article describes the incident where Alex Bregman was struck by a foul ball and had to leave the game, while the second article discusses his recovery and potential return after sustaining injuries from that same event.”
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles describe Alex Bregman's injury from being hit by a foul ball, Article A reports on the initial incident and its immediate aftermath, while Article B discusses Bregman's rehabilitation progress several days later.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The first article reports on Alex Bregman being hit by a foul ball and taken to the hospital for tests, while the second article discusses his potential return from injury after undergoing medical evaluation.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 24 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes Bregman's potential return after sustaining injuries from a foul ball, while Article B reports on his actual return to play five days later in a game against Boston.”
The Guardian
Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different stages of the same injury incident, but not the exact same occurrence.”
Fox News
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 69/100
“While both articles describe the incident involving Alex Bregman being hit by a foul ball, Article A covers the immediate occurrence and hospitalization, while Article B discusses his potential return after recovery.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
28
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
3 of 28 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
9
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 11229 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Jay Cohen
39 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Chicago is 5-2 after winning its first two games since quarterback Caleb Williams returned from a hamstring injury.
🔮 Led by Caleb Williams, Chicago has won two in a row to improve to 5-2 going into Monday night’s game at Seattle.
🔮 Forwards Noa Essengue and Patrick Williams were sidelined for Chicago, which was coming off a 132-125 win at Milwaukee on Friday.
🔮 Chicago will be without Cole Kmet for the rest of the season after he hurt his right knee on a reception with 5:34 left in Thursday night’s 30-24 win over New England.
🔮 Kyle Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to the New England 34.
🔮 CHICAGO (AP) — Caleb Williams threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and the Chicago Bears cooled off Drake Maye and the New England Patriots with a 30-24 win on Thursday night.
🔮 After public outcry, Polymarket removed a contract from its prediction market platform that allowed users to wager on whether any of the seven men accused of raping a Cornell student in 2024 would be charged with a felony sex crime.
🔮 Catcher Will Smith is 1 for 19 in the postseason after going 0 for 3 with a walk against the Brewers.
🔮 It was always going to be the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers — with their consecutive World Series titles and a payroll that casts a long shadow over Yelich and the small-market Brewers.
🔮 "Absent the clarity that only this Court can provide, (prediction market) operators will continue exploiting the gap between state and federal regulation, endangering consumers and the integrity of sports events across the country," legal counsel for the NFL stated in the filing.
Also by Jay Cohen
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 39 articles by Jay Cohen →

Topics

CHICAGO Cincinnati Cubs Marlins Miami

Subjects

Bregman PERSON · 7× Cubs ORG · 6× CHICAGO GPE · 4× Cincinnati ORG · 2× Counsell PERSON · 2× Miami GPE · 2× Alex Bregman PERSON · 1× Craig Counsell PERSON · 1× Jed Hoyer PERSON · 1× Michael Busch’s PERSON · 1×

Narrative

So he’s going to do everything in his power, and as long as I think symptoms don’t kind of increase or happen as he increases activity, I think you’re going to see him play.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
🔮 CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman could play again in the regular season after he sustained multiple facial fractures when he was struck in the face by a foul ball on Sunday.

Claims (28 extracted, 3 hedged)

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman could play again in the regular season after he sustained multiple facial fractures when he was struck in the face by a foul ball on Sunday. uncertain
he → play → Sunday
Chicago manager Craig Counsell said Bregman did a light workout in the weight room on Tuesday and tracked pitches from a machine in a batting cage. asserted
Bregman → say → cage
“He’s got still significant swelling in his face and his eye that needs to improve,” Counsell said. asserted
Counsell → get → face
“But all things considered, he’s in a good place.” asserted
he → consider → place
Bregman was on deck in the fourth inning of a 9-1 win at Cincinnati when he was hit on the left side of his face on Michael Busch’s check-swing foul ball. asserted
he → hit → ball
Bregman immediately jogged toward the Cubs’ dugout and covered his face before going back to the clubhouse with an athletic trainer. asserted
Bregman → jog → trainer
“When everything was going down on Sunday afternoon, I think that we all thought the worst case might be a possibility,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. uncertain
Hoyer → go → operations
He’s had a lot of different doctor’s appointments, and they’ve been positive. asserted
they → have → appointments
And I think we have to take it one step at a time.” asserted
we → think → time
Matt Shaw also could fill in at third while Bregman is out. uncertain
Bregman → fill → third
The Cubs can clinch an NL wild card with a win over the Marlins or a loss by Arizona at Colorado. asserted
Cubs → clinch → Colorado
Following their series opener against Miami, the Cubs have five games left in the regular season. asserted
Cubs → follow → season
“I think Alex is going to be fine. asserted
Alex → think → ?
I really do,” Counsell said. asserted
Counsell → do → ?
“The guy is ... he’s driving home from Cincinnati and he wants to play. asserted
he → drive → Cincinnati
So he’s planning on playing. asserted
he → plan → ?
He knew he had to get some good news from the doctors. asserted
he → know → doctors
He got that good news. asserted
He → get → news
So he’s going to do everything in his power, and as long as I think symptoms don’t kind of increase or happen as he increases activity, I think you’re going to see him play.” asserted
him → go → activity
Bregman is batting .262 with 26 homers and 89 RBIs in 153 games during his first season with Chicago. asserted
Bregman → bat → Chicago
The three-time All-Star signed a $175 million, five-year contract with the Cubs in free agency. asserted
Star → sign → agency
The 32-year-old Bregman got off to a rough start in his new home, hitting just .229 with two homers in his first 20 games. asserted
Bregman → get → games
But he has been one of Chicago’s most productive players since the All-Star break, batting .305 with 17 homers and 48 RBIs in his last 57 games. asserted
he → bat → games
Bregman also has excelled in the postseason in the past. asserted
Bregman → excel → past
He won two World Series championships with the Houston Astros. asserted
He → win → Astros
He appeared in at last two postseason games in each of the previous nine years. asserted
He → appear → years
“To see a friend and a teammate just get hit in the face and bleeding like that is awful,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. asserted
Hoerner → see → that
“I think his reactions to everything has been uplifting, just him being relentlessly aggressive and positive and speaking out, all the things that he’s excited to do.” asserted
he → think → that
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