With the Chicago Cubs closing in on a playoff spot, everything was going well Sunday in Cincinnati. Then, Alex Bregman, who has been the team’s most important player not named Pete Crow-Armstrong in the second half, took a foul ball off the face while in the on-deck circle and was immediately taken into the visitor’s clubhouse.

Busch was at the plate with two outs in the top of the fourth with Chicago already up big, 5-0, when he fouled the ball toward Bregman. It hit the Cubs’ third baseman in the face and he was replaced by Matt Shaw.

Obviously, what we’re concerned with right now is Bregman’s well-being, but it’s hard to not speculate about the potential impact this could have on the Cubs with the playoffs just over a week away. The loss of their veteran third baseman would be a major loss for the offense, so we’ll just have to hope we’ve avoided any sort of worst-case scenario here.

Alex Bregman’s breakout second half has been a Cubs’ game-changer

The Cubs have been decimated by injuries all season long, specifically on the pitching side of things. They’ve avoided any crippling losses on the position player side of things (but, again, that doesn’t mean they’ve gone unscathed) but this club has had an uphill battle really from start to finish this year.

After a rough first half, Bregman has turned it on in a big way, reminding everyone he’s very capable of being one of the best players in the league when he’s locked in. Prior to the injury, Bregman got the Cubs’ scoring started, driving in his 89th run of the season in the early-going. He’s erased all memory of his early struggles, cementing his place as a key offensive cog in Craig Counsell’s offense.

Chicago just got Dansby Swanson back from a month-long IL stint to return the infield to full strength just in time for October. Now, we wait on an update on Bregman’s status and hope for the best.