The Chicago Cubs suffered their first loss of the spring yesterday when they lost 7-3 to their divisional rival, the Cincinnati Reds.
The game saw the Cubs’ top prospect, Matt Shaw, make his spring debut after being on the shelf with an oblique strain.
The question for Shaw now will be, how many more games will he appear in this spring? And will he make the trip to Japan with the team when they play the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 18?
Chicago Cubs top prospect makes spring debut
In his first appearance, Shaw batted second and played third base, where he went 0-3 on the day but looked healthy and ready to go. After the game, in an interview with Marquee Sports Network, the 23-year-old said he felt good and felt 100%.
“Matt Shaw tells @EliseMenaker that he “feels 100%” after his first spring training game.”
Matt Shaw tells @EliseMenaker that he “feels 100%” after his first spring training game. pic.twitter.com/rrksjnDu4m
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 2, 2025
Shaw enters camp looking to compete for the starting third base job the Cubs have open and was the frontrunner for the job once Alex Bregman signed with the Boston Red Sox. The former first-round pick is a highly skilled hitter who brings some pop and the ability to be a 20/20 guy once he figures things out.
Will Shaw travel to Japan with the Cubs?
The biggest question on everyone’s mind after Shaw after seeing Shaw for the first time is, will he travel to Japan with the team? Speaking to Cole Bradley of MLB.com, Shaw said he’s looking to stay healthy and is trying to get as many at-bats to feel healthy.
“At the end of the day, you’re trying to get at-bats under you and feel healthy,” Shaw said, “and today I felt really healthy.”
Shaw added that if he doesn’t make the trip to Japan, that’s all a part of the process, and he has the rest of the season to look forward to.
“I think I’ve put a lot of time and effort to be ready for this situation,” Shaw said. “But it’s out of my hands. So I’m going to keep trying to do what I do every day and be consistent, and if I get the opportunity to go [to Tokyo], I’ll be overjoyed. And if not, that’s just part of the process.”
We shall see what that decision is
We shall see soon what the Cubs decide to do with Shaw and whether or not he’ll make the trip to Japan.
Thankfully, Shaw looked healthy and didn’t show any discomfort while playing.
Hopefully, Shaw will appear in more games this spring where he will hopefully have success and will see him make the trip to Japan.
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