MESA, Ariz. \u2013 Now that the Cubs have clarity on second baseman Nico Hoerner\u2019s injury timeline, third baseman Matt Shaw<\/b>\u2019s outlook is the missing piece in their infield picture for the Tokyo Series.<\/p>\n
Shaw, the Cubs\u2019 top prospect, entered spring as the favorite to win the job at third base. But the team has taken a cautious approach to his ramp up after an oblique injury. They\u2019re likely targeting Sunday for Shaw\u2019s first spring training game, according to manager Craig Counsell<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing is off the table with Matt,\u201d Counsell said. \u201c… We\u2019re not at a point to make any decisions on Matt yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scheduling Shaw\u2019s first Cactus League game is a promising sign. But the Cubs still have to decide if the at-bats available over the next couple weeks are enough for the team to feel comfortable putting him on the 40-man roster to make his major-league debut in the Tokyo Series on March 18-19.<\/p>\n
Both Shaw\u2019s status and Hoerner\u2019s absence \u2013 he\u2019s ruled out for the Tokyo Series but on track to play in the domestic opener \u2013 will factor into upcoming roster decisions and affect the list of 31 players making the trip to Japan.<\/p>\n
The Tokyo Series has special rules so that the teams participating aren\u2019t disadvantaged by having to make 40-man and injured-list decisions early. In addition to the normal 26-man active roster, teams can fill roster spots No. 27-29 with inactive players.<\/p>\n
The Cubs therefore have a way to avoid putting Hoerner on the 10-day IL, ensuring he\u2019s eligible for domestic opening day, without using an active roster spot on him.<\/p>\n
With Hoerner out, utility players Jon Berti<\/b>, Vidal Brujan<\/b> and Nicky Lopez<\/b> (non-roster invitee) are options at second base. But those three also provide depth at third base, along with Rule 5 draft pick Gage Workman<\/b>.<\/p>\nAlc\u00e1ntara bulks up<\/h3>\n
Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alc\u00e1ntara <\/b>has a strong sense of his personal expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I prepare my body in a good spot, I\u2019m a superstar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Alc\u00e1ntara, who made his major-league debut late last season, has been a Cactus League star so far this spring, with a 1.038 OPS. Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly estimated that Alc\u00e1ntara, 22, had put on 18 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Kevin before, he was long and lanky and had these long levers, and he wasn\u2019t quite strong enough yet,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cSo his swing was kind of long. He\u2019d take out a lot of slack and then try to create more. But with the bulkiness that he\u2019s put on, from what we\u2019ve seen, his swing had really tightened up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tighter swing path also will help him let the pitch travel further before making a swing decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s been a huge positive for him,\u201d Kelly said, \u201cjust adding that strength, not only for strength, but it actually helped clean up some of the mechanics of his swing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his second Cactus League start of the year, left-hander Jordan Wicks<\/b> threw 2 \u2154 innings Thursday against the Angels, focusing on landing his secondary pitches in the strike zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpring training is weird,\u201d he said after giving up four hits and two runs. \u201cYou can\u2019t put a whole lot of stock in the results one way or another. And for me, it\u2019s just getting the pitches to where I want them to be. And I felt like it was a good day today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former White Sox star Tim Anderson got the scoring started with a solo homer off Cubs starter Jordan Wicks in the first inning. \u201cI fell behind 1-0 and tried to throw a fastball to get back in the count, and he took advantage of it,\u201d Wicks said.<\/p>\n
Shaw is targeting this weekend for his first spring training game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":37463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n