The Chicago Cubs remain in an excellent position not only to reach October, but to host a Wild Card series at Wrigley Field. However, their path toward hosting postseason baseball suddenly became much more complicated.

Alex Bregman was struck below his left eye by a foul ball while standing near the on-deck circle during Sunday's 9-1 victory over Cincinnati. He underwent testing afterward, leaving his availability uncertain with only six games remaining. That's potentially a massive loss at exactly the wrong time.

Chicago enters the final week tied with the San Diego Padres at 87-69 atop the NL Wild Card standings. The Cubs own the tiebreaker, but the Padres have become baseball's hottest team at the perfect time. San Diego has won 13 of its last 14 games.

The Phillies remain dangerous as well, sitting only one game behind Chicago and San Diego. Meanwhile, Arizona is barely hanging around and needs an extraordinary final week to have any chance.

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Fortunately for Chicago, its postseason position remains extremely favorable. The Cubs own tiebreakers over San Diego, Philadelphia, and Arizona, meaning their competitors can't simply finish tied with them to move ahead. The Cubbies also close with three games against Miami before traveling to Boston for their final three.

But the race for home-field advantage is wide open. Finishing with the NL's top Wild Card spot means hosting the entire best-of-three opening round, something particularly valuable for a Cubs team accustomed to the unique environment at Wrigley Field. Bregman's status could therefore become one of the biggest stories of the final week.

Chicago still controls its postseason destiny. But with San Diego charging and Philadelphia lurking, losing one of its best hitters now would make protecting that position considerably more difficult.