SAN DIEGO -- When the Cubs revealed their roster for the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday morning, there were no big surprises. The entire five-man rotation made the list among the dozen arms included, and the position group featured the same players from September.
Really, the only question Cubs manager Craig Counsell had to answer for the first round of the postseason was whether Alex Bregman would return to third base or be used as a designated hitter. For Game 1 on Tuesday night, Counsell opted to keep Bregman in the DH role, putting his well-being above any lineup considerations.
“Ultimately, I played it safe, I’ll be honest with you,” Counsell said. “This is a man seven days off of facial fractures. The most critical thing for our team is that he gets his at-bats this series – that’s what’s most important. And I feel like this is a better way to guarantee that he gets these at-bats.
“There’s just more risk playing the field. Could it go fine? Yeah. Does he want to play the field? He does. I think this is just a safe way to go.”
Rookie Pedro Ramírez started at third base in place of Bregman, who sustained multiple facial fractures in his left cheek after being hit by a foul ball while waiting on deck during a Sept. 20 game in Cincinnati. The swelling in Bregman’s face has reduced dramatically, but Counsell wants to minimize as much risk as possible, given the sensitive nature of the injury.
Bregman took grounders in a workout at Tropicana Field on Saturday and did so again at Petco Park on Monday. Counsell said the latest defensive workout went better, just in terms of how Bregman felt and looked on the field. Bregman has also said that he is willing to play third base, if Counsell wants to go that route.
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Bregman said on Sunday.
Bregman returned to the lineup as a DH on Friday in Boston and went 0-for-4, but admitted that his swing felt off following the hectic days leading up to that game. He then went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers in the regular-season finale against the Red Sox, noting that a late-night film session going into that day helped him solve some mechanical issues.
That final push for Bregman gave him 28 homers, 33 doubles, 93 RBIs, 92 runs, 76 walks and an .819 OPS in 155 games this season for the Cubs. He was one of baseball’s best performers in the second half, posting a 1.010 OPS after the break, compared to a .696 OPS in the first-half. Bregman and Fernando Tatis Jr. were tied for second in the Majors in fWAR (3.7) in the second half, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong (4.7).
Whether Bregman is at third or serving as the DH, his teammates are just thrilled to have him back on the field.
“That fires you up,” Crow-Armstrong said. “Knowing him and how wonderfully crazy he is, just about his work and how much he loves the game. It’s not really surprising. Not to put a damper on how cool it is that he’s coming back after facial fractures and whatnot, I’m just not that surprised. He lives for this kind of baseball. Most importantly, I’m glad he’s healthy enough to do what he loves.
“But, in turn, selfishly, I’m pumped that he’s going to be in our lineup for these important games. … Simply put, Alex Bregman makes our lineup better. So, it’s huge that he’s getting himself game ready.”
Here is the Cubs’ full 26-man roster for the Wild Card Series:
Pitchers (12)
Kevin Gausman, RHP
Matthew Boyd, LHP
Shota Imanaga, LHP
David Peterson, LHP
Clay Holmes, RHP
Ryan Rolison, LHP
Aaron Civale, RHP
Daniel Palencia, RHP
Colin Rea, RHP
Ryan Zeferjahn, RHP
Jacob Webb, RHP
Javier Assad, RHP
Catchers (2)
Miguel Amaya
Carson Kelly
Infielders (6)
Nico Hoerner
Alex Bregman
Dansby Swanson
Michael Busch (L)
Gabriel Arias
Pedro Ramírez (S)
Outfielders (5)
Pete Crow-Armstrong (L)
Ian Happ (S)
Michael Conforto (L)
Seiya Suzuki
Tyrone Taylor
Infielder/Outfielder (1)
Matt Shaw