Fresh off facial fractures, Bregman mashes 2 homers in 2nd game back

ST. PETERSBURG -- Even without any postseason implications on the line on Sunday, Alex Bregman told Cubs manager Craig Counsell that he wanted to be in the starting lineup. The third baseman felt it was important for him to get more at-bats ahead of the playoffs.

“Alex really wants to play,” Counsell said prior to Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Red Sox.

And if there were any lingering questions about how Bregman was seeing the ball just a week removed from the fluke foul ball that resulted in multiple fractures in his left cheek, he offered an emphatic answer against the Red Sox. In only his second game back in the lineup, Bregman belted a pair of no-doubt homers in his first two at-bats at Tropicana Field.

Following two games on Friday at Fenway Park, where strong winds related to the Nor’easter hitting the region did a number on Chicago’s offense, the move to the neutral site gave the lineup a chance to hit reset. That was especially important for Bregman, who went 0-for-4 in his first game back in the opener of Friday’s twin bill.

“I felt like I haven’t played in a few days, but my face was fine,” Bregman said on Friday. “I saw the ball fine. So hopefully I’ll just build off those at-bats and get back to feeling how I was feeling.”

If Sunday was any indication, Bregman’s swing looks just fine ahead of the upcoming National League Wild Card Series against the Padres.

The only question right now is whether Counsell will put Bregman back at third base in the postseason or keep him slotted in as the designated hitter for now. Bregman has been the DH in his first two games back in the fold, and Counsell hinted at staying in that mode as a way to minimize the risk of a setback.

Bregman took ground balls in a workout at Tropicana Field on Saturday’s off-day, but Counsell is taking things day by day when it comes to weighing putting him back in the field.

“We have to make a decision there, for sure,” Counsell said. “We’ll just kind of see how he feels every day. I think he’s improving every day, but he’s got multiple face fractures, and it’s been [a week]. So we’ll just see how he feels. One thing I’m thinking about is the risk of more exposure.

“I think his at-bats are the most important thing that we can get. So, is that exposure worth it? Does it make us that much better at the risk of the at-bats? That’s what we have to consider. And then just the player’s health and well-being.”

Bregman went deep in the first and third innings -- off a first-pitch sinker and then an 0-1 sweeper -- and sent both pitches crashing into the left-field stands. Those were the 27th and 28th homers of the year for Bregman, who has been one of baseball’s best hitters in the second half. Entering the final game of the regular season, only Pete Crow-Armstrong (4.7), Fernando Tatis Jr. (3.7) and Elly De La Cruz (3.6) had a higher WAR (via FanGraphs) than Bregman (3.3) since the All-Star break.

Bregman added a single in the fifth inning, drew a walk in the seventh and added an RBI double in the ninth. When he reached base after those plate appearances, Bregman switched out one helmet (with an extended left earflap) for another that had a longer flap on each side to offer more protection.

Bregman was waiting on deck on Sept. 20 in Cincinnati when he was hit in the face by a foul ball off the bat of Michael Busch. Prior to that game, the Cubs’ third baseman had hit .298 with 19 homers, 18 doubles, 53 RBIs and a 1.000 OPS in his previous 60 games. His season OPS climbed to .801 from .670 in that span.

“I’m excited for the postseason. I’m looking forward to it,” Bregman said on Friday. “I feel like today was kind of, let’s get some at-bats and get back to getting in the swing of things. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t thinking anything about my face, and the only thing I was thinking about was how I normally think when I’m playing the game of baseball. And that was good. I didn’t think about it one time.”