An April 15 demotion from the Chicago Cubs to Triple-A Iowa wasn’t going to mess with Matt Shaw’s mind.
Was he disappointed? Sure. That plane ride to Des Moines wasn’t easy for the shortstop-turned-third baseman after having a taste of life in the majors.
But Shaw said his mission was to get back to Chicago as soon as he could.
“You are just trying to put yourself in a good position where they are ready to call you back up,” Shaw told the Tribune. “That’s what we were trying to do.”
Mission accomplished.
Shaw was recalled May 19, and the plane ride back was a lot sweeter.
The 23-year-old is taking full advantage of his second chance with the parent club. After hitting .172 in his first 18 major-league games, Shaw is hitting .325 in his first 12 games back. His 11th-inning single to drive in Jon Berti with the winning run Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies helped set the tone for a 5-1 homestand.
It has been a wild couple of months for the former Maryland star and No. 13 pick in the 2023 draft.
“There were a lot of emotions early on,” Shaw said. “I was in the big leagues for the first time and sent back down and I got my feet back under me and now I’m here again. The boys are rolling and we’re playing really well.
“Yeah, it was definitely a roller coaster.”
Players react differently when they are sent down, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell liked Shaw’s approach.
“You see him more upright at the plate — that’s the physical change you see the most,” Counsell said. “He’s used the experience really well. He used the feedback that he has gotten in the first three weeks of the season really well.
“I think he is comfortable right now. He’s getting better. And he is taking feedback that coaches, players and the league have given him and gotten better.”
Even when he’s not hitting, Shaw brings great value to the team. His leadoff walk in the eighth inning Saturday started a two-run rally in the Cubs’ 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
He made two big plays in the seventh inning Sunday on hot shots off the bats of Tyler Stephenson and Spencer Steer that had fans at Wrigley Field going wild during a 7-3 win over the Reds.
Those plays impressed first baseman Michael Busch.
“It’s tough for me to see because I’m running to the base, but I was able to watch on replay and that first one was a bad hop,” Busch said. “The dirt gets a little hard toward the end of the day — especially day games. Being able to control that hop and make that play is amazing.
“(Second baseman) Nico (Hoerner) and I were talking about it, and those plays in the corners could turn into doubles.”
Busch said Shaw has been “awesome” since coming back.
“He’s the same guy every day and goes about his business,” Busch said. “He’s working extremely hard over there — and that’s a semi-new position, if I’m not mistaken — but he’s doing an extremely good job.
“It’s not an easy position to play, and to play at a high level that he is doing is pretty amazing to watch.”
Counsell said Shaw’s early struggles had nothing to do with defense, and Sunday’s performance confirmed that Shaw can get the job done at third.
“Let’s keep it going,” Counsell said. “He’s playing really well there. He made some tough plays, and those are the pitcher’s best friends.
“When you make a pitch and somebody hits it hard and you get an out on it — that’s a big deal for pitching.”
Shaw said he likes to be prepared for plays like that.
“It’s definitely reaction,” he said. “I put a lot of work on the field, day in and day out, to make sure those plays become second nature.”
Shaw started to transition last year from shortstop to third base. That was his ticket to the big leagues, and he said he took a serious approach to playing third.
“This is something I’m putting a lot of time and effort into,” Shaw said. “People are always going to talk until you prove yourself. That’s just the way it goes. I understand that. I want to come out here and put in a lot of time and effort into third base, and I feel confident.”
Shaw hopes his days of struggling at the plate and getting sent down are over. But he said he’s used to facing adversity and challenges.
“I wasn’t the best player in high school or anything like that,” he said. “I’ve dealt with failure early on in my life. I always had a good attitude about it and had a lot of belief in myself. It’s just something I’ve carried with me for a long time.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
