Cubs' Alex Bregman taken to hospital after foul ball hits face

Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman was taken to hospital for X-rays and CT scans after a foul ball hit him in the face in the fourth inning of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs won 9-1.

Michael Busch checked his swing and fouled off a pitch from Luis Mey. The ball struck Bregman, who was standing in front of the on-deck circle. He jogged towards the dugout with his hand over the left side of his face and was escorted by a trainer into the clubhouse, with blood visible on his face.

Manager Craig Counsell described the injury after the game.

«He got hit in the left cheekbone essentially, under the eye,».

Counsell said Bregman was bleeding a little from the nose and that there was some swelling. "It's a terrible, terrible accident," he said. There was no immediate decision on whether Bregman would travel back to Chicago with the team.

Busch said the speed of the play left no time to react. "Mey is throwing the ball hard and it comes off hard," he said. "Any time it enters the head area, it's always a scary thing." Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong called it "such a rarity" and said he was hoping for good news about his friend.

Counsell said he had not yet thought about how a long absence would affect his postseason roster. "We've got to get good results from the hospital," he said. "I want to get a good report first."