CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 16: Alex Bregman #3 of the Chicago Cubs looks on during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Wrigley Field on June 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jayden Mack/Getty Images)
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The Chicago Cubs have seen the distance in the National League Central division increase as their good start to the season has turned into a struggle with injuries to several key players.
And as the team looks to regain its playoff momentum, the spotlight has shifted to former Boston Red Sox star Alex Bregman, who joined the Cubs in the prime. blockbuster $175 million deal in the offseason.
“Bregman is in the midst of a season-long slump that worsened in June,” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers said. wrote this week. “Prior to Monday’s win, he was hitting .181 (in June) with a .253 percentage. He was chasing pitches out of the zone at a rate of 24%, which would have been a career high in a full season.”
Chicago Cubs World Series Champion Sends Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox Change Message as Mount Concern
Bregman has been a constant presence at the plate for the Red Sox and Houston Astros in his career, so the decline is surprising. But one of the few people who can relate to what Bregman is going through this season sent a message to the problems stemming from his past struggles with the Cubs.
“That first month was probably one of the longest months I’ve ever had in the big leagues. I was looking for the perfect numbers for the season in April,” Cubs All-Star and World Series champion Jon Lester said of his transition from the Red Sox to the Cubs. during a recent episode of “North Side Territory.” “Sometimes you lose sight of who you are and what you’ve done and the record and that kind of thing. So, I think about Bregman… I think maybe you’re pushing a little bit and you know you want to be Bregman, you want to hit .270 to .290 with 25 to 30 homers… You want to hit four home runs before the first at-bat.”
Few players understand the pressure that comes with leaving Boston for a better place – or vice versa – better than Lester. After helping Boston win two World Series titles, Lester joined the Cubs and became the cornerstone of Chicago’s historic championship run in 2016.
Chicago Cubs 2-Time All-Star Plans With Alex Bregman Injury Amid Struggles
For the former football player, the pressure of a huge free agent contract led to a poor start to his tenure with the Cubs. And it could be the same for Bregman, though Lester is quick to note that there may be another explanation.
“He might get hit a little bit, we don’t know that,” added Lester. “But I know he’s definitely out there grinding and he’s definitely out there giving it his all… But hopefully he can hold on to where he’s at right now and maybe fire up here in the next month or so and be Bregman-like numbers by the end of the season.”
Cubs fans can only hope that Bregman’s tenure with the team goes in the same direction as Lester’s after his signing following his success with the Red Sox.
