BOSTON (AP) — Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman returned to action against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, his first game since sustaining multiple face fractures when hit by a foul ball in the on-deck circle.

Bregman was hurt during the Cubs’ win 9-1 win at Cincinnati last Sunday. He sustained several fractures from the ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch.

The three-time All-Star was the Cubs designated hitter in his return to Fenway Park. He spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox, became a free agent and signed a $175 million, five-year contract with Chicago.

“It's a testament to his toughness, No. 1 and just his desire to play baseball,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Doctors have cleared him. He's had two very good days. Yesterday he was ready to go and he was itching to get in the game. Has had good work days and ready to go.”

Chicago clinched an NL wild card berth on Thursday

“He feels up to going and the doctors said he can go," Counsell said. “It's a freak injury, an injury we don't deal with very often. ... So you're unaware of the risks and things like that. There are risks and we've talked to Alex about that. But I think we've done the best we can to minimize them and them move forward.”

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