The Cubs need Matt Shaw to catch fire in Iowa before solving the third base crisis

With the Chicago Cubs' third base problems continuing (and on full display in Sunday’s loss), it’s natural for fans to wonder just how long Matt Shaw will have to refresh and regroup in Triple-A Iowa. The answer to that one isn’t a simple one.

For one thing, Shaw hasn’t been in Iowa all that long. He’s played in just seven games so far, and it’s a given that the front office is going to want him to demonstrate that he’s figured things out before being recalled.

Chicago Cubs fans likely aren’t going to want to hear that, considering just how much of a black hole that people are openly talking about the team swinging a deal for a Nolan Arenado that is a shadow of his former self. There’s also the fact that if Cubs faithful were hoping that he’d go down to Iowa, fix something, and immediately start tearing the cover off the ball, they’re going to be very disappointed in what’s actually happened.

Matt Shaw started his demotion looking fairly similar to what he did in Chicago. Not a ton of hard contact, a decent batting eye, but not hits to show for it. He started his stint in Iowa on a 1-for-17 slide.

However, the news isn’t all bad. In fact, in the last two games, there is legitimate reason for optimism. 

Matt Shaw seems to be finding his top prospect form once again

On Saturday, in the second game of a doubleheader, Shaw had his first multi-hit game of the season and drove in his first run in Iowa. He followed that up with a Sunday performance where he went 2-for-5 with a ringing double and an absolute rocket shot of a solo home run.

Officially, he’s 4-for-his-last-9, which is easily the best he’s looked in 2025 at any level. That he’s finally starting to show extra base power has to be a big relief for anyone wondering if there was a chance his swing was simply broken.

The other positive for Shaw is that while he wasn’t getting hits, he was indeed still walking, including two of his first four games, where he drew multiple walks. That would seem to hint that he’s seeing the ball well (he was drawing walks for the Cubs as well) and just needs to get his timing down.

The long and short of it is that Matt Shaw is going to need to get red hot in order to be called up by the Chicago Cubs anytime in the next week or two. It feels as though June 1 would be the absolute earliest. That could change, though, if he really starts tearing the cover off the ball.