At its coronary heart, baseball is a sport of endurance and timing. For Matt Shaw, the wait was just below two months, however the journey felt longer. Chicago’s high place prospect is returning to the large leagues and was recalled by a Cubs crew on the lookout for stability at third base and a spark at heart in a pennant race. Shaw’s first main league expertise was a bitter one. His second? The Cubs imagine it may very well be totally different. This time the swing is easy. Maybe that second can be extra manageable. And that perception nonetheless lives on.
Report: Cubs prospect Matt Shaw reportedly referred to as up @John Heyman. pic.twitter.com/Xm0z4AQsc4
— Marquee Sports activities Community (@WatchMarquee) Could 19, 2025
From setback to swing change: Shaw’s second probability
In mid-April, the numbers advised a tough fact. 1 residence run. 3 RBIs. He had 18 strikeouts in 58 at-bats. For Matt Shaw, the early return to motion in his main league debut was not solely overwhelming, but additionally unfamiliar. Video games that had been performed naturally from school to the minor leagues abruptly changed into a mirror of adjustment.
Shaw was despatched again to Triple-A Iowa. Quite than disappear, it’s rebuilt.
The main focus was mechanical. The leg kick is now shorter. I’ve simplified my intent. After which, as promised, the swing started. In 24 video games for Iowa State, Shaw hit .286 with six residence runs and an OPS of over .950. Extra importantly, the ball was coming off his bat with goal once more. The ball was despatched everywhere in the area, lifted powerfully, and landed out of attain of the protection.
Matt Shaw has 5 HRs in his final 35 PA for Iowa. Has his swing modified since he was despatched off?
Not an excessive amount of — the swing mechanics are related (left: yesterday, proper: with the Cubs).
Nonetheless, there may be one delicate distinction. His posture seems extra upright. There could also be some tweaks you can also make to assist the texture… pic.twitter.com/9XH9FQVrkN
— Brendan Miller (@brendan_cubs) Could 17, 2025
“He was getting slightly passive,” Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly mentioned. “Now he is main the baseball world once more.”
Baseball affords no ensures, simply alternatives. For the present, the second message arrives with much less expectation and maybe extra self-awareness.
Struggling spots in competing lineups
If Matt Shaw’s bat can match that perception, the Cubs might lastly discover a solution the place there have been solely questions.
Third base is vacant. There are not any residence runs. Common .184. OPS that ranks among the many worst in baseball. Chicago has relied on Jon Barty and Nikki Lopez. Their gloves supplied stability, however their bats did not do a lot else.
The crew holds a slender lead within the Nationwide League Central Division. And in a division the place each match can matter, you needn’t solely stability but additionally productiveness. The present affords that risk. He additionally brings vitality. Confidence. The quiet urgency of a participant who is aware of what it means to be despatched off and what it means to come back again.
Irrespective of the way you take a look at it, Lopez did not go to Miami with the crew. The participant is anticipated to be traded or designated. It is a troublesome second for the veteran. However baseball is commonly a sport of timing, and after a month of changes, the timing for the present now feels proper.
He won’t be requested to bear any guilt. He shall be requested to contribute. To compete. And perhaps to remind the Cubs what they noticed once they referred to as his title on draft day.
The best way residence begins from the highway
Fittingly, Shaw’s return will start not below the lights of Wrigley, however within the echoes of the guests’ dugouts in Miami and Cincinnati, removed from residence.
This highway journey is about extra than simply video games for the Cubs. It is an early season hinge level. And from there the present begins once more.
For the 23-year-old, that is the duality of the job. A pupil who’s seen as a promising prospect one second and demoted the following. However the present dealt with each with a type of professionalism that resonates past the numbers.
He wasn’t bitter when he was kicked out. he went to work. he requested. He has modified.
Matt Shaw has arrived in Miami 😎 pic.twitter.com/cYSaHu3JrG
— Marquee Sports activities Community (@WatchMarquee) Could 19, 2025
Now he returns not as a savior, however as a spark. And within the silence between innings, the Cubs hope to search out what was lacking, with a swing that has much less raise however extra goal.
Perhaps it isn’t the beginning of the season.
Maybe it is an issue with the reset technique.
