Cubs' Matt Shaw: Will get 'long look' at third base
Rotowire
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Tuesday that Shaw will get a "long look" at third base, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Third base is open for the Cubs following the trade of Isaac Paredes, and Shaw looks to be the top internal candidate to fill it, particularly with the club adamant that Michael Busch will remain at first base. Hoyer did note that Shaw will not be handed the third-base job and will have to win it during spring training. The top prospect slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2024 and boasts enormous fantasy potential.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Path open to starting job
Rotowire
Shaw has a path to the Cubs' starting job at third base following the trade of Isaac Paredes, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
With Paredes no longer around and Nico Hoerner (elbow) potentially unavailable for the start of the season, Shaw looks to have a good shot to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster. The top prospect slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2024.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Moves past back issue
Rotowire
Shaw (back) returned to the lineup for Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday and Thursday and went 2-for-9 with an RBI between the two contests.
Shaw missed about a week and a half with a back strain but was never forced to go on the 7-day injured list. Since receiving a promotion to Triple-A in early August, the 22-year-old infielder is slashing .250/.370/.412 with three home runs and three stolen bases across 81 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Out with back issue
Rotowire
Shaw strained his back making a play in the field Sunday for Triple-A Iowa and is considered day-to-day, MLB.com reports.
The report from Monday states that Shaw could miss a few days, and he hasn't returned to action yet. Shaw had a slow start to the year, but he is slashing .314/.397/.547 with 14 home runs, 18 steals and a 14.8 percent strikeout rate in his last 64 games across Double-A and Triple-A.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Raking at Double-A
Rotowire
Shaw has hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games for Double-A Tennessee, batting .460 (23-for-50) over that stretch with four homers, five steals, 12 RBI, 16 runs and a 3:3 BB:K.
The 22-year-old top prospect appears to have nothing left to learn at the Double-A level. After a somewhat slow beginning to the campaign in which he was both unlucky and a bit too patient at the plate, things have clicked for Shaw over the last couple months, and he now sports a .282/.377/.475 slash line through 84 games for Tennessee in 2024. He has mainly played third base this season, but he's also seen action in 14 games at shortstop and 19 games at second base, and his ultimate defensive home in the majors is uncertain following the Cubs' acquisition of Isaac Paredes at the trade deadline. Shaw should get a promotion to Triple-A before the end of the season, with a 2025 big-league debut firmly on the table.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Very patient at Double-A
Rotowire
Shaw is hitting .204 with a .354 OBP, three home runs and eight steals in 31 games for Double-A Tennessee.
He's been unfortunate on balls in play (.247 BABIP) and has been extremely patient at the dish (39.4 percent Swing%, 16.9 BB%) while using the opposite field a bit more than is optimal (46.1 Oppo%). Shaw made a lot of noise during his first spring training and after getting drafted with the 13th overall pick last year, but it doesn't appear that a promotion to Triple-A is imminent. He has played 25 games at third base and three games at second base.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Invited to MLB spring training
Rotowire
The Cubs announced Friday that Shaw received an invitation to major-league spring training.
Fellow top prospect Owen Caissie will join Shaw in big-league camp. A first-round pick in the 2023 Draft, Shaw slashed .357/.400/.618 with eight homers and 15 steals across three levels in his pro debut, reaching Double-A Tennessee. He's mostly played shortstop and second base to this point, but Shaw's offseason workouts have been focused mainly at third base, where he has the clearest path to playing time with the Cubs. An Opening Day roster spot is unlikely, but we could see the 22-year-old sometime in 2024.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Focusing on third base this winter
Rotowire
Shaw said Saturday that he's taken "probably 99 percent" of his reps this offseason at third base, Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.
The No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Shaw saw more playing time at shortstop and second base than third base during his pro debut. However, with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner holding down the middle infield with the Cubs, Shaw's future could be at the hot corner. It was a sample of just 170 plate appearances, but Shaw slashed a robust .357/.400/.618 with eight homers and 15 steals across three levels in 2023. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he could push to debut in 2024.
