Matt Shaw adds another position to his ever-expanding defensive repertoire

You never know until you try, right?

That seems to be the Chicago Cubs' approach with new super-utility man Matt Shaw, who, in addition to seeing time this spring in right, center, second and third, can now check first base off the list.

A Gold Glove finalist among National League third basemen last season, Shaw was bumped off the hot corner when Chicago signed Alex Bregman to a five-year deal this winter. Questions as to whether or not the Cubs would trade Shaw lingered for months, but now, it's clear this roster, especially the bench, is built with Shaw - and his expanding defensive versatility front and center.

The bench mix looks to be almost locked. Miguel Amaya will pair with Carson Kelly behind the plate, and he's also capable of stepping in at first, as is projected designated hitter Moises Ballesteros. Shaw will, obviously, make the Opening Day roster, and the battle for the fourth outfield spot continues with just weeks until the regular season gets underway.

“Look, we’re giving him kind of a difficult spring training experience here,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “I respect what he’s doing this spring. It hasn’t been easy, for sure. But, I’d rather make it hard right now and then go into the season with at least some experience at all these things.”

An unfortunate spring injury necessitated Matt Shaw's latest project

Comparing his Cactus League experience to when he played in Little League, Shaw has done whatever has been asked of him this spring - which has been a lot. But in his mind, his only clear path to consistent at-bats right now is remaining flexible defensively, which will allow Counsell to plug and play with the former first-rounder right out of the gate.

The spring injury to offseason signing Tyler Austin, who is expected to miss several months, was a big blow to the team's first base depth. If anything happened to Michael Busch, the whole roster configuration gets dicey, rather quickly. Having Shaw at least capable of handling first in an emergency just adds another backup plan to the mix - something Hoyer has prioritized when assembling this year's club.

There's no question Shaw has a role to play on this team - and with the looming roster turnover coming at year's end, he's not only doing helping the Cubs in being open to these asks; he's making himself more integral to the front office's long-term plans in the process.