Curious Cubs prospect update begs the question of what's next

Chicago Cubs fans have been glued to the box scores of Iowa Cubs games over the past month, trying to get a sense of when Matt Shaw could be back with the Major League team.

After Shaw was optioned to Triple-A in April, the expectation was that the team's top prospect would be back in the Majors before too long. After struggling in his initial return to Iowa, Shaw appears to have found his offensive form once again.

Entering play on Monday, Shaw is slashing .262/.392/.415/120wRC+ through 79 plate appearances. More importantly, Shaw's strikeout rate and walk rate seem to have stabilized after it appeared he was just swinging at everything during his first set of games with the Iowa Cubs this season. With the I-Cubs, Shaw's walk percentage is sitting at 16.5% with a strikeout rate of 11.4%.

Considering the Cubs' continued struggles at third base and Shaw's resurgence with the Iowa Cubs, it seems that we are getting close to him returning to the Major League level. There may have been a subtle sign of that over the weekend.

After not appearing in the I-Cubs' game on Saturday, Shaw was also out of the lineup for their Sunday contest. Shaw, however, did appear in Sunday's game as a pinch-runner, suggesting that there isn't an injury concern that kept him out of the lineup over the weekend.

The return of Matt Shaw seems to be getting closer

While we're on the subject, expect the corresponding roster move once Shaw is recalled to be Vidal Bruján designated for assignment. With Nicky Lopez being the defensive specialist for the infield, and Seiya Suzuki the theoretical fourth outfielder on the roster, Bruján doesn't have much of a role with the Cubs once Shaw is brought back. Speed-wise, the Cubs could turn to Jon Berti as the pinch-runner late in games, a role that Bruján has been primarily serving in this season.

As we get closer to June, now would be the time for the Cubs to give Shaw another run at third base. If it works, the Cubs have their answer at the position. If not, the Cubs still have time to look for external options ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline in July.