The Cubs optioned Shaw to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
After beginning the season as Chicago's starting third baseman, Shaw slashed just .172/.294/.241 across 68 plate appearances over his first 18 games in the majors. The Cubs will now send him back to Triple-A to help him rediscover his swing; meanwhile, Jon Berti, Justin Turner, Vidal Brujan and Gage Workman are all candidates to see more time at the hot corner.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Sitting Saturday
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Shaw is not in the Cubs' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Shaw will begin Saturday's contest in the dugout after going 0-for-9 with one run, three walks and three strikeouts over his last four games. Justin Turner will start at the hot corner and bat sixth against Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Getting evening off
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Shaw is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.
Shaw will give way to Gage Workman at third base after starting in each of the Cubs' previous seven games. While he's shown a patient eye at the plate with a 17.6 percent walk rate over his 51 plate appearances, Shaw has yet to provide much value in traditional 5x5 category leagues. He enters Monday's contest with a .190 batting average to go with one home run, 10 runs, three RBI and zero stolen bases.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Scores three times Thursday
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Shaw went 1-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in Thursday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
Shaw was making his third straight start for the Cubs, and the rookie put together his best performance to date during the team's domestic opener. There may be some growing pains for the 23-year-old, but Chicago seems committed to him at third base, and Shaw did manage a robust .867 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A last year. The 13th overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft has the talent to make an impact in the majors right away.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Batting fifth in MLB debut
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Shaw is in the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers for the first game of the 2025 Tokyo Series, manning third base and batting fifth.
Widely considered the Cubs' top prospect, Shaw missed time in spring training with an oblique injury but was still able to secure his spot in the lineup for the regular-season opener. He will slot in between Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson against right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his MLB debut, after slashing .284/.379/.488 with 21 homers and 31 steals in 121 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Added to 40-man roster
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The Cubs selected Shaw's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The club announced nearly one week ago that Shaw would be traveling with the team for the Tokyo series, and Chicago has since signed him to the 40-man roster. This isn't an unexpected transaction, as the 23-year-old was penciled in as the starter at third base early in camp before suffering an oblique injury. Look for Shaw to be announced in the starting lineup at the hot corner for the first game of the Tokyo series against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Traveling with CHC for Tokyo series
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday that Shaw will travel with the team for their two-game series against the Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
The Cubs and Dodgers are allowed a 31-man travel roster, so while Counsell's declaration doesn't necessarily mean Shaw will be the team's Opening Day third baseman, it would be a surprise if that's not the case. Shaw got a late start to spring training due to an oblique injury that's limited him to only five games, but he's healthy now and reached base in all three of his plate appearances Monday versus the Guardians. The 23-year-old slashed .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa last season and has a chance to be a big fantasy contributor right out of the gate.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Team undecided on Tokyo series
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The Cubs have not yet made a decision as to whether to carry Shaw on the roster for their two-game series versus the Dodgers in Tokyo from March 18-19, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Mooney indicates that Shaw would probably be a lock for the Tokyo series roster and set to start at third base if the infielder had not suffered an oblique injury that's limited him to just nine Cactus League plate appearances so far. Because Shaw is behind schedule, the club could elect to hold him back in preparation for its domestic opener. In that instance, Gage Workman, Justin Turner, Jon Berti and Vidal Brujan would be under consideration for playing time at third base in Tokyo.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Resumes hitting and throwing
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Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Thursday that Shaw (oblique) is "doing great" and has resumed hitting in the batting cage and throwing, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Shaw suffered an oblique injury at the beginning of camp but has been trending in the right direction since then. The Cubs will continue to tread cautiously given the finicky nature of oblique injuries, but it would seem Shaw might not be far off from full activities. The top prospect is the favorite to be the Cubs' Opening Day third baseman.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Out with back issue
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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
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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: Invited to MLB spring training
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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
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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.
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