Five days after sustaining facial fractures after getting struck in his left eye by a foul ball, Alex Bregman is back in the Chicago Cubs lineup.
Bregman will be the designated hitter and bat third in the Cubs' first game of a doubleheader Friday, Sep. 25 at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.
His return completes a remarkable recovery after a Michael Busch foul ball took one hop and struck him in the face near the on-deck circle in the Cubs' game at Cincinnati Sunday. Bregman sat out three games and by Wednesday was already lightly working out and tracking pitches from a machine.
And depending on the results, it certainly stokes hopes that Bregman will be good to go once the Cubs begin their National League wild-card series on Tuesday.
Bregman
has hit 26 home runs in his first season with Chicago after signing a five-year, $175 million contract; he'll be facing the Red Sox, his old team with whom he reached the playoffs a year ago. Bregman has now gone to the postseason 10 consecutive seasons with three teams.
Matt Shaw is playing third base in Game 1 against Red Sox starter Alec Gamboa.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Bregman returns to Chicago Cubs lineup days after scary face injury
