Recently Recalled Cubs Rookie Opens Up About Early Season Demotion

The red-hot Chicago Cubs have boasted the best offense in all of baseball over the first quarter of the 2025 season, and it hasn’t been particularly close. Spearheaded by emergent MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs have plated an MLB-best 324 runs.

Their prowess at the plate has made it very easy to overlook the glaring hole the team has been trying to fill at third base.

Easily the weakest spot in their lineup, Chicago’s third basemen have a collective .208 batting average.

This is a problem that recently recalled rookie Matt Shaw is looking to fix for the team, as a recent stint in Triple-A appears to have helped the promising young slugger get back on track at the plate.

Shaw originally made the Opening Day roster out of spring training, but after getting off to an awful .172/.294/.268 start at the plate, the team decided it was best to send him back down to Triple-A Iowa to work through some issues with his swing.

While most young players might have viewed the demotion as a negative, Shaw recently told CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder that it was the best thing that could have happened to him.

“There’s not time for young guys to struggle when we want to win, so it was exactly what I needed,” Shaw said. “I think it was something that I really needed. I felt like I needed it, even at the time. As unfortunate as it was, it felt like something that I needed. It was just part of the journey and, yeah, I’ve stayed confident.”

This reset appears to have worked wonders for Shaw, as he’s already looked like a completely different hitter on the plate.

It also allowed him to gain some valuable perspective, as well.

“I think the stint back in Triple-A gave me a little perspective about the big leagues and gave me a breath of fresh air to kind of take a step back,” Shaw said. “It also gave me some time to work on things, all of which I needed. Hopefully I can take what I’ve learned from the minor leagues and continue to grow into a better hitter.” 

It’s clear that Shaw has the right mindset to become a successful player at the MLB level.

If he can continue building upon the new foundation he forged in Triple-A, then the Cubs just might have found their long-term answer at third base.