{"id":56207,"date":"2025-05-19T13:48:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T13:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=56207"},"modified":"2025-05-19T13:48:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T13:48:24","slug":"star-prospect-to-rejoin-cubs-soon-after-hr-frenzy-in-minors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=56207","title":{"rendered":"Star prospect to rejoin Cubs ‘soon’ after HR frenzy in minors"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Matt Shaw watch in Chicago appears to be nearing its conclusion. After slugging four home runs in three games and making visible improvements to his swing mechanics, the Cubs’ top infield prospect is on the verge of rejoining the big-league roster. Shaw was pulled from Triple-A Iowa\u2019s lineup on Sunday, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed postgame that his return is \u201cunder consideration\u201d as the team heads to Miami to open a road trip.<\/p>\n

Shaw, 23, began the 2025 season as the Cubs\u2019 everyday third baseman, but after struggling to a .172 average and .535 OPS through 18 games, he was sent back to Triple-A to recalibrate. The message was clear: make adjustments and earn your way back. Since then, Shaw has done exactly that \u2014 and loudly.<\/p>\n

Over his last 19 games with Iowa, Shaw is slashing .338\/.437\/.676 with a 1.112 OPS, six homers, 14 RBI, and more walks (12) than strikeouts (10). That surge hasn\u2019t just been about the stats. It\u2019s the how that has the Cubs encouraged.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went back down to work on some adjustments,\u201d Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins said Sunday on Cubs Pregame Live. \u201cTrying to tone himself down a little bit, get on time a little bit more effectively\u2026 and we\u2019ve seen that over the last few games. The results have been pretty obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Shaw likely to make his return to the Cubs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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David Banks-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Related Chicago Cubs NewsArticle continues below<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The key adjustment? A reworked leg kick. Shaw\u2019s signature high leg lift was believed to be throwing off his timing against elite MLB velocity. After some initial hesitation, Shaw bought into making a more compact version of his leg kick. The difference has been evident. His timing has improved, he’s driving the ball with authority, and his exit velocities and hard-hit rates have jumped back to where they were during his rise through the minors.<\/p>\n

The Cubs, meanwhile, have struggled to find answers at third base during his absence. Veterans Jon Berti, Nicky Lopez, and Vidal Bruj\u00e1n have combined for a wRC+ of 28 and -0.6 WAR since Shaw\u2019s demotion \u2014 a glaring weakness in an otherwise potent lineup. With Shaw making visible progress and third base production plummeting, the timing for a call-up makes sense.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to win games, and we\u2019re trying to put the player in a good position to succeed,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cThere\u2019s a time when we\u2019re hopefully going to be able to say, \u2018Yeah, it\u2019s time to give this a shot again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s 6-2 win over the White Sox capped off a weekend dominated by the Cubs\u2019 youth movement \u2014 from Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s MVP-caliber performance to Cade Horton\u2019s second career win to Mois\u00e9s Ballesteros recording his first MLB hit. A Shaw return would be another step in that same direction.<\/p>\n

The Cubs are playing winning baseball, but they know internal growth will be key for sustainability. With both developmental and competitive boxes checked, Shaw\u2019s return to Wrigley looks imminent \u2014 and this time, he\u2019s showing up ready to make a lasting impact.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After slugging four home runs in three games, Matt Shaw is on the verge of rejoining the big-league roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":56208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282,823,44,1086],"class_list":["post-56207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-mlb","tag-pete-crow-armstrong"],"yoast_head":"\nStar prospect to rejoin Cubs 'soon' after HR frenzy in minors - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=56207\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Star prospect to rejoin Cubs 'soon' after HR frenzy in minors - 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