Cubs' 2026 Opening Day roster puzzle centers on Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros

When you look at the Chicago Cubs' starting lineup, it's hard not to be impressed. From Alex Bregman to Pete Crow-Armstrong, and from Nico Hoerner to Ian Happ and beyond, the unit is stacked to the gills with dynamic stars and rock-solid veterans.

But when it comes to the bench, there are questions. Two prime cogs who could play big roles while coming off the bench are two of Chicago's two most important young building blocks: Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros.

Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros are the keys to the Cubs' Opening Day roster coming together

Not only are these two talented but relatively unproven youngsters, but they'll both potentially be asked to fulfill somewhat unfamiliar roles.

The plan going into last season was to find a way to get Matt Shaw into the lineup. The preferred way to do that was pencil him in at second base to compensate for his less-than-stellar arm, but with Isaac Paredes heading out in the Kyle Tucker trade, the hot corner ended up being his home. There, he excelled with the glove and surprisingly became one of the league's best defensive third basemen.

That was one part of the equation for Shaw, but the other side of the ball was more of a struggle. His bat was so brutal to start last season that he was quickly sent back down to Iowa. When he returned in May, things didn't immediately click, but after the All-Star break, he slashed .258/.317/.522 buoying hope that he finally figured out how to make the necessary adjustments.

Now, he'll have another curveball thrown at him. Chicago will be adding outfield reps to his plate for the first time in his career. The hope is to get him semi-regular playing time, but he'll have to prove that he can leverage his athleticism to be serviceable in new positions while also tackling second and short in addition to third. All the while, he'll need to hit more like the second-half version of his 2025 self instead of the overwhelmed rookie he looked like in the first half.

Ballesteros might not be thrown through as much of a loop, but he still has a tall task ahead of him. The 22-year-old has a shot to be the club's regular DH while also logging occasional time behind the plate and at first base. Positionally, he has minor league experience at each spot, but things are different in the bigs.

His bat looked ready in the 20 big league games he logged across three different stints in Chicago, posting a .298/.394/.474 line. However, the normal small sample size caveat applies.

Ballesteros will not only need to prove that he can hit consistently, but that he can be serviceable behind the plate when called upon. Throughout the minors, he's had issues with passed balls and struggled to consistently throw out runners, leading to questions about his viability at the position.

The Cubs were already planning on taking it slow with Ballesteros, but his late arrival to spring training due to visa issues has made it harder to take that patient approach.

The dirty little secret is that the Cubs are counting on both of these youngsters to fill these vital roles more than they might like to admit. There is very little in the way of veteran options in camp who could snatch the utility infielder role away from Shaw, and in the outfield and at DH, the best alternatives are reclamation projects like Michael Conforto and Chas McCormick.

Simply put, if Shaw and/or Ballesteros look overwhelmed, there's nowhere else internally for the Cubs to turn to.