Alex

Bregman

Bregman took Grant Holmes deep in the fourth. It was one of three balls hit at least 100 mph for him tonight, so that’s encouraging from a struggling hitter. He did enter the night with a fine 45 percent hard-hit rate, but about half of those hard-hit balls came in at 95-99 mph. He’d hit balls at least 100 mph 23.6 percent of the time.

After coming to Chicago with much fanfare in the off-season, the 32-year-old is hitting .233/.328/.333 with three home runs, 13 RBI, and a 31/22 K/BB ratio in 39 games. He’s making enough contact, and his hard-hit rate is actually in line with previous seasons,s but his bat speed is trending down, and he’s hitting more groundballs than he ever has. There’s still plenty of time for him to figure it out, but it hasn’t been the best start to the season.

It’s a rare off day for Bregman, who takes a break following 29 consecutive starts to open the season. Matt Shaw is at third base and hitting ninth in his place.

Ballesteros takes a seat against Phillies lefty Jesús Luzardo with Alex Bregman getting a break from the field at DH and Matt Shaw entering the lineup at third base for his first start since April 15. The 22-year-old former top prospect is hitting a robust .378 (17-for-45) with three homers and 10 RBI in 19 games this season. He’s a potent offensive threat, but his lack of defensive versatility is going to leave him the odd-man out occasionally when the Cubs have to mix up their lineup.

Bregman recorded his first three-hit performance in a Cubs uniform during a one-sided affair at Tropicana Field. The multi-hit effort raises the 32-year-old veteran third baseman’s batting average from .150 to .200 in the process. He’s gone deep twice and has nearly as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six) through 11 games. It was always only a matter of time before Bregman got going again.

Bregman took Jake Irvin deep twice for his first two homers as a member of the Cubs. The 31-year-old went just 1-for-9 in the previous two games, but as he’s done to many a lefty in his career, he was able to get things going. As long as Bregman stays healthy, he’s going to have enough moments like this to make him a strong fantasy option at the hot corner.

Bregman took familiar foe Gerrit Cole deep in the opening frame on a 96.1 mph sinker at the bottom of the strike zone. The 31-year-old free agent import will bat in the heart of Chicago’s lineup and projects as a top-10 range fantasy option at the hot corner heading into the year.

Bregman and Ian Happ went back-to-back in the third inning off Chad Patrick. The 31-year-old has swung the bat well in his first spring training with the Cubs, posting a slash of .471/.550/1.000. Bregman is more of a high-floor than a high-ceiling player at this stage, but there’s still enough oompf in his bat to suggest he’s worth a starting spot in eligible formats.

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa will turn to Bregman at the hot corner over Gunnar Henderson, who crushed a game-tying solo homer during Sunday’s semifinal win over the Dominican Republic, to face Venezuela lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. The other notable changes here for matchup reasons are Byron Buxton in centerfield over Pete Crow-Armstrong and Will Smith getting another turn at catcher over Cal Raleigh. Here’s the full lineup: Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Bryce Harper (1B), Aaron Judge (RF), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Bregman (3B), Roman Anthony (LF), Smith (C), Brice Turang (2B) and Buxton (CF).

Henderson gets the nod over Alex Bregman at third base to face Dominican Republic starter Luis Severino, whom he’s had plenty of success against dating back to Severino’s time with the Yankees. The other notable change for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa involves giving Will Smith the start at catcher over Cal Raleigh. Here’s the full lineup: Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Bryce Harper (1B), Aaron Judge (RF), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Henderson (3B), Smith (C), Roman Anthony (LF), Brice Turang (2B) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF).