Shaw is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Jon Berti will fill in at third base while Shaw heads to the bench for the first time since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 19. The rookie's second go-around in the majors has been far more successful than his first, and despite going 0-for-13 over his last four starts, Shaw is still batting .264 with one home run and seven stolen bases since rejoining the big club.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Pops second homer
Rotowire
Shaw went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-1 win over the Tigers.
The rookie third baseman launched a slider from Keider Montero over the left-field fence in the seventh inning, one of five long balls by the Cubs on the afternoon. It's the second homer of the season for Shaw and his first since he returned to the majors May 19. In 17 games since being called back up, he's batting .339 (21-for-62) with seven doubles, seven steals, five RBI and 11 runs.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Collects two more hits Friday
Rotowire
Shaw went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Tigers.
Facing Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, Shaw managed to record his second straight multi-hit effort, and he mustered Chicago's only run in a game where scoring was at a premium. After getting demoted following a rocky start to his rookie campaign, Shaw has been a lot better since getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on May 19. Over his past 16 games, the 23-year-old has slashed .345/.387/.466 with seven doubles, four RBI and 10 runs scored.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Big effort in win
Rotowire
Shaw went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Thursday's 7-1 win over the Nationals. He also stole two bases.
Shaw was electric from the No. 8 spot in the order as he snapped a 1-for-13 slump that stretched across his previous four games. This was the rookie's second career game with three hits. It was also his second career game with multiple stolen bases, and he now has seven steals for the season in as many attempts. Shaw remains a work in progress at the plate, but his ability on the bases is giving his fantasy value a boost, and he has the potential to do even more with the bat as he gets more comfortable against MLB pitching.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Officially recalled to majors
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Shaw from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Shaw earned another shot with the big club after putting up a .970 OPS, six home runs, five steals and an 11:17 K:BB over 24 contests. He slashed only .172/.294/.241 across 68 plate appearances in his first stint in the majors, but the Cubs seem more confident that Shaw will fare better against big-league pitching this time around. Shaw will take over as the Cubs' primary third baseman, with Jon Berti shifting to a utility role.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Promotion to big club coming
Rotowire
The Cubs are expected to recall Shaw from Triple-A Iowa prior to Monday's game in Miami, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Shaw was demoted in mid-April after slashing only .172/.294/.241 across 68 plate appearances, but he got back on track at Iowa with a .970 OPS, six home runs, five steals and an 11:17 K:BB over 24 contests. He will get another shot at being the Cubs' everyday third baseman, while Jon Berti transitions back into a utility role.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Another chance with Cubs expected
Rotowire
The Cubs are expected to eventually recall Shaw from Triple-A Iowa to take back over as their third baseman, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.
Shaw was sent down in mid-April after slashing only .172/.294/.241 across 68 plate appearances. The 23-year-old has a .324/.457/.487 slash line with one home run since being demoted to Iowa, including an 11-for-20 surge over the last five games. While a promotion for Shaw does not appear imminent, manager Craig Counsell confirmed that the team eventually plans to hand the third-base job back to Shaw.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Optioned to Iowa
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Scores three times Thursday
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Batting fifth in MLB debut
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Added to 40-man roster
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Traveling with CHC for Tokyo series
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Team undecided on Tokyo series
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Matt Shaw: Resumes hitting and throwing
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
