The Buzz — Tuesday, September 22

Alex Bregman

The take Bregman has facial fractures, hopes for playoff return

The fractures are real — Michael Busch's checked-swing foul in the fourth inning Sunday ricocheted into Bregman's face while he stood on deck, and hospital imaging in Cincinnati confirmed multiple breaks. No surgery, which means the bones heal on their own and the timeline is not structural. What is keeping him off the field is the swelling.

His left eye was still swollen shut Monday, and until it opens, the 26 home runs, 89 RBIs, and .804 OPS are on the shelf with him. Hopeful is a player's word in late September; a clearance is what the club needs. Bregman is already back in Chicago, and the Cubs are still determining next steps — which is not the language of a man being fitted for a playoff lineup card. The vision is expected to be fine. Expected is not confirmed, and the swollen eye is the whole calendar now.

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River Ryan

The take Ryan dominates short Tigers debut after Skubal deal

Three scoreless innings, two hits, one walk, three strikeouts on 43 pitches — and none of that is the story. River Ryan had not thrown a big-league pitch since Aug. 10, 2024. In between he had Tommy John surgery, missed all of 2025, fought through multiple hamstring IL stints, and was traded on Aug. 2 to the Tigers for Tarik Skubal. Two years of rehab for 43 pitches, and Detroit traded its ace to get them.

Twelve hitters faced, six whiffs — three on the changeup — and a four-seam fastball averaging 96.5 mph. That is the arsenal that made him worth Skubal, and it arrived intact. A.J. Hinch called the stuff electric and already slotted him for the season finale Sunday. This was not a cameo. It was an audition that passed.

The caveat is the pitch count, and it is a real one. Three innings is a controlled reintroduction after an elbow reconstruction and a hamstring that would not cooperate — not a workload. One September outing is a down payment. But Detroit gave up its ace and got back an arm with this kind of swing-and-miss, and the early return says the deal has a chance to look very different than it did in August.

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Drew Gilbert

The take Gilbert 3-RBI night leads Giants past Twins

Drew Gilbert went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, driving in three of San Francisco's runs in a 5-2 win over Minnesota that snapped a losing streak. The home run was his 11th of the year, a 375-foot solo shot to right. For a 65-92 club opening its final homestand, that is what is left — a player finishing strong in games that stopped mattering weeks ago. The performance was real. The stage was not.

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Pete Alonso

The take Alonso two-HR night with 40th sparks Orioles comeback

Pete Alonso hit his 39th and 40th home runs Monday, reaching forty for the fourth time in his career and the first as an Oriole. The second was a 400-foot, two-run shot off Tyler Rogers with two outs in the eighth — the go-ahead blow in a 4-3 win over Toronto. The 40th home run is the headline. The 108 RBIs is the number that explains the five-year, $155 million contract.

He went 2-for-4, drove in three, and tied for ninth-most homers in a season in franchise history. Two swings erased a deficit and decided a game Baltimore needed. Alonso is carrying an offense late in a disappointing year, and Monday he was the comeback — the power is real, and the schedule is almost gone.

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Brett Bateman

The take Rookie exits hip injury as Jays near playoff elimination

Brett Bateman left Monday night's game after jamming his right hip on a sliding catch, and X-rays were negative — manager John Schneider called it day-to-day tenderness, not structural damage. That is the good news for a rookie hitting .320 with an .807 OPS over 38 games since his August call-up. The bad news is the standings: Toronto fell 3 1/2 games behind the idle White Sox for the final AL wild-card spot, and their elimination number is down to 2. The hip will likely heal in a week. The season may not last that long.

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