Matt Shaw’s return to Cubs ‘under consideration’ after productive stint at Triple-A Iowa

Might top prospect Matt Shaw be making his return to the Cubs’ major league roster?

“It’s under consideration, for sure,” manager Craig Counsell said after Sunday’s 6-2 win over the White Sox. “We’ll get together after the game and discuss.”

Shaw’s absence from Triple-A Iowa’s lineup Sunday generated buzz about a potential return during the Cubs’ upcoming road series against the Marlins.

Shaw opened the season as the team’s third baseman only to earn a demotion after struggling offensively. He posted a .172/.294/.241 slash line in his first 18 games as a big leaguer.

Since going back down to the minors, he’s hit well, with a .286/.409/.560 slash line and six homers in 24 games.

The Cubs have hoped that Shaw would eventually return to reclaim the everyday job at third base, perhaps the one position on the field with question marks for this first-place squad.

A combination of Jon Berti, Nicky Lopez, Vidal Brujan and Justin Turner has been used to man the hot corner, though no one in that group has emerged as a reliable offensive option, all four entering Sunday with batting averages below .215.

“[His return to the majors is] the goal,” Counsell said Friday. “We’re trying to win games, and we’re trying to put the player in a good position to succeed.

“There’s a time we’re going to hopefully be able to say, ‘Yeah, it’s time to give this a shot again.’ But … he’s going to have a challenge again, and he’s going to be challenged in the big leagues again, like every young player is.”

Shaw, the Cubs’ first-round draft pick in 2023, is currently ranked as the best prospect in their organization and the No. 18 prospect in the sport.

Base-running chaos

Last year, the Tigers reached the postseason with “pitching chaos.”

This year, the Cubs could do the same with “base-running chaos.”

Intentional or not, that’s what transpired in the sixth inning Sunday, the Cubs improbably scrambling and sliding their way to a game-deciding, three-run frame.

Unsurprisingly, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong – who also tripled and scored in the first inning – was in the middle of it all. With the score square at 1, his effort to turn a base hit into a hustle double lured a throw to second base that spurred Brujan to race home and slide underneath a missed tag for the tie-breaking run.

“That’s aggressive, and I kind of love that,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s obviously one of those plays that can go either way, if it works out or it doesn’t, but that s--t worked. … Bru’s fast, he can move. Personally, I love that play.”

In the next at-bat, right fielder Kyle Tucker’s fly ball joined a large number that evaded Sox defenders during a blustery, bright weekend at Wrigley Field. Crow-Armstrong scampered to third, and Tucker executed a tag-dodging, swim-move slide at second base. Both guys eventually scored to cap the three-run inning.

Sunday’s exploits weren’t even unique to this Crosstown series, with back-to-back runs scoring on ground balls Friday – with first baseman Michael Busch safe on what Crow-Armstrong described as a “sick slide” – and the team stealing six bases in Saturday’s win.

“That’s been talked about a lot,” Crow-Armstrong said. “From the first meeting of spring training till now, we’re still putting a huge emphasis on being able to produce on the bases.”

Crosstown kings

Sunday’s win snapped a 74-74 tie in the all-time series between the Cubs and Sox, the North Siders now holding a one-game edge.