Alex Bregman just crashed Cubs lineup vs. Red Sox as risky injury recovery push hits apex

The Chicago Cubs are set to play a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, and the first game will mark the return of Alex Bregman. Bregman's season, and status for the playoffs, appeared to be in jeopardy after he took a foul ball to the face last Sunday, but against all odds, he is returning less than a week later.

Bregman will be serving as the Cubs' designated hitter for Game 1 on Friday, and Matt Shaw will be at third base. While Bregman had been hitting in recent days, and running the bases, there was some question if he would be ready to play third base. Of course, considering how the Cubs struggled to score runs over the past three days against the Miami Marlins, Bregman's return to the lineup can not be understated.

While the Cubs did clinch a playoff spot on Thursday, and Pete Crow-Armstrong entered the 40-40 club, there's still a question of whether or not they will be hosting the NL Wild Card series at Wrigley Field. As of Friday morning, they would be playing the San Diego Padres in San Diego. They enter the day trailing the Padres by one game for the top Wild Card spot.

Alex Bregman returns to the Cubs, but weather is still threatening Red Sox series

Looking past Bregman, the other question for the Cubs ahead of this series was the weather in Boston. A nor'easter is forecasted for the Boston area this weekend, and the plan for the rest of the series after today remains in question.

Currently, the Cubs' plane is scheduled to fly to Florida after tonight's game. The indication is that the two teams will have Saturday off before concluding the regular season on Sunday with a game in Tampa Bay.

Clay Holmes and David Peterson are the scheduled starters on Friday, and the current plan is for Shota Imanaga to pitch on short rest if they were to play on Saturday. Craig Counsell has voiced his annoyance with that scheduling, considering the strain it would put on the pitching staff ahead of the playoffs.

Both the Red Sox and Cubs were willing to play the series at Wrigley Field, with the Cubs reimbursing Boston for the revenue lost, but both the Padres and Philadelphia Phillies objected to the idea. Both teams certainly have legitimate reasons to not like that idea, but in this instance, it feels like MLB should have opted with the scenario that teams actually playing this series were okay with.

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