BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman was back in the Chicago Cubs' lineup, five days after he sustained facial fractures when struck on the face in the on-deck circle.
Bregman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout as a designated hitter Friday in a 4-3 loss to Boston in a doubleheader opener.
“I'm excited for the postseason — I'm looking forward to it. I feel like today was, ‘Let’s get some at-bats and get back to it,'” Bregman said. “Getting into the swing of things, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't thinking anything about my face, and I all wanted to do was think about playing the game of baseball. And that was good. I didn't think about it one time.”
He was hurt at Cincinnati last Sunday, sustaining several fractures from the ball off the bat of teammate Michael Busch. Bregman missed three games.
“The mechanics were terrible today. So hopefully fix those and get back to crushing it,” said Bregman, who is batting .260 with 26 homers and 89 RBIs.
A two-time World Series champion, Bregman will be playing in his 10th straight postseason since missing out as a rookie with Houston in 2016. He said he's not concerned over Chicago's opponent for the best-of-three first round matchup, which starts Tuesday.
"We've got to go play good baseball. We've got to play winning baseball," Bregman said. “Whether it's at home or on the road it comes down to us executing on both sides of the ball.”
The three-time All-Star spent the 2025 season with the Red Sox, became a free agent and signed a $175 million, five-year contract with Chicago.
Being back in Boston is meaningful for him.
“It felt great. So many lifelong friends,” Bregman said. “Memories and friendships that I'll cherish forever and obviously playing here is so special. Loved playing here. Fans here are awesome. So, great experience.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Bregman's quick return is a “testament to his toughness” and “desire to play baseball.”
“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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Chicago Cubs' Alex Bregman looks on from the dugout during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)
Word of an offer from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program is emerging from the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s top cleric issued a rare statement, calling on the kingdom’s troops to defend the country from neighboring Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
In New York, where the wars in Iran and Gaza have dominated the U.N. agenda, the leaders of Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt were scheduled to address world leaders later Friday.
Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Friday reporting that Tehran has put forth a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program if the U.S. meets the conditions it has laid out. Talking to reporters at the U.N., Araghchi said the plan was delivered to Washington through Qatari mediators on the sidelines of the General Assembly. “If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days,” he said. “The choice now rests with the United States.” The seven-day clock will begin when the U.S. accepts the plan, Araghchi added. The White House said earlier Friday that U.S. officials are having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war
With Saudi oil facilities, cities and ships off its coast coming under escalating attacks, the kingdom's top religious authority has called on soldiers to be prepared to defend the country from Iran-backed Houthis.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, who traditionally avoids weighing in on politics in a country that holds enormous influence among Muslims worldwide, issued the strongly worded statement. Al-Fawzan addressed his message to soldiers defending the kingdom's borders and members of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, peppering it with Quranic verses and religious edicts.
“Protecting this great nation, guarding its borders, defending against aggression and punishing those who want to harm any inch of it is one of the greatest duties,” he said.
The head of Yemen's internationally recognized government, Rashad al-Alimi, likewise urged Yemenis to rally behind Saudi-backed armed forces and allied groups in their fight with the Houthis.
Al-Alimi, who chairs the country’s Presidential Leadership Council, also called on Yemenis fighting alongside the Houthis to defect, announcing a general amnesty.
Al-Alimi said the aim of the fighting is to restore his government’s control over Sanaa, the capital, which the Houthis seized in 2014.
His call to arms came during his first speech since his Saudi-backed forces were routed from the western Red Sea coast by the Houthis’ lightning advance on the city of Mokha and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where 12% of the world's trade passes.
The swift Houthi advances raised questions about the effectiveness of the Saudi-backed forces in the face of the disciplined, well-armed Houthis. The Houthi assault exploited divisions among the Saudi-backed forces and distrust among its leaders, leading to a chaotic troop withdrawal before the fall of Mokha.
Al-Alimi’s speech came on the 64th anniversary of the military coup that ousted the monarchy ruling northern Yemen, rooted in the Zaydi Shiite sect to which the Houthis also belong. The Houthis battled Yemen’s central government for years before sweeping down from their northern stronghold and seizing Sanaa.
The first joint meeting of the military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey was held in Riyadh on Friday, following the signing of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement by the three countries, Pakistan’s military said in a statement.
The chiefs of defense forces and chiefs of general staff from the three countries reviewed the regional security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia, according to the statement.
“They strongly resented the attacks targeting the Holy City of Mecca and civilian and economic infrastructure,” the statement said.
The military chiefs also praised the vigilance and professionalism of the Saudi armed forces in ensuring the safety of the people and security of the kingdom, it said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday in a post on X that Tehran supports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for a return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and renewed diplomacy between Iran and the United States.
Pezeshkian said he appreciated Xi’s “thoughtful and responsible support” for resolving differences through dialogue and diplomacy, adding that Iran backed returning to the understanding and honoring previously agreed commitments.
The post came a day after Pezeshkian met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Sharif said Pezeshkian told him the Islamabad memorandum remained “fully acceptable” to Iran and that Tehran was ready to take it forward.
The 14-point memorandum, mediated by Pakistan and signed in June, provided a framework for ending the conflict.
In a statement approved by its 15 members, the U.N.’s most powerful body condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The council called for “practical cooperation,” including with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, to prevent the Houthis from obtaining weapons, military material and training enabling them to carry out attacks.
It reminded all countries of their obligation to implement the U.N. arms embargo against the Houthis.
Israel’s military said two of its soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Thursday while inspecting an unexploded Israeli drone near a military post. They were the first Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in months.
Five other Israeli soldiers have been killed since last October’s ceasefire that attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided, almost daily Israeli fire has continued. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones and have killed 1,408 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
A young man holds a Saudi flag while standing through the sunroof of a vehicle during celebrations marking Saudi Arabia's 96th National Day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)
Palestinians walk amid war-damaged buildings in Gaza City, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
This image taken from undated video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen's Houthi rebels, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, shows, according to the group, Houthi fighters firing rifles during clashes with Saudi-backed forces at an undisclosed location in Yemen. (Ansar Allah Media Office via AP)
Men perform the traditional Saudi sword dance known as the ardah during celebrations marking Saudi Arabia's 96th National Day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Baraa Anwer)
