Cubs News: Matt Shaw makes spring training debut; Pablo Aliendo cut from MLB camp

It wasn't any sort of master class or head-turning performance, but none of that matters. Matt Shaw made his Cactus League debut on Sunday for the Chicago Cubs, making a couple of plays at third and going 0-for-3 at the plate.

Shaw, the Cubs' top prospect, projects as the team's Opening Day third baseman but, prior to Sunday, had not yet appeared in a game this spring as he recovered from an oblique injury. He's reportedly 100 percent and a big test comes Monday, a scheduled off-day for him, as both he and the team wait to see how he feels after playing.

He'll have to wait until at least Tuesday to collect that first knock of the spring. Shaw pounced on the first pitch he saw Sunday, grounding out sharply to the left side. In his second at bat, he hit the ball hard the other way in a groundout to first. His biggest at-bat came in his third trip to the plate, when he popped out to first with the bases loaded, ending a Cubs' scoring threat.

Regardless of whether or not he's with the team in Tokyo in a couple of weeks, Shaw has been drawing praise for his maturity and approach this spring as he looks to crack the Cubs Opening Day roster.

“I think I’ve put a lot of time and effort to be ready for this situation,” Shaw told MLB.com. “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.”

Cubs make another spring training roster cut, now sit at 53 players

Last week, the Cubs started cutting guys from big-league camp and, on Sunday, minor league catcher Pablo Aliendo's number was up.

Aliendo. who enters the year as the Cubs' #23 ranked prospect, according to Baseball America, and he's been in that range in their rankings for a few years now. The cut doesn't come as much of a surprise: the 23-year-old was never going to break camp with the team and will look to put together a solid year between Double-and Triple-A.

Last year in his second season with Double-A Tennessee, Aliendo posted an .808 OPS but missed roughly half the year. He whiffed in nearly one-third of his ABs, so that's definitely a box that needs to be checked if he's going to have any serious run at the higher levels or in the big leagues.