Matt Shaw put together a strong first season with the Chicago Cubs, finishing with 89 hits, 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. It was a productive year overall, but his situation has become more complicated following the arrival of Alex Bregman. Shaw said he trusts the organization when it comes to what his future role will look like.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers shared Shaw’s comments on X: “You’re looking at it like, ‘Oh man, where am I going to play?’ You get a little anxious about those things… They’ve been transparent with me, helping me understand my (new) role,” Shaw said after losing his third base spot with Bregman joining the roster.
At the very least, Shaw knows the Cubs will find ways to keep him in the lineup.In 2025, he posted a .226 batting average across 126 games, solid production for a rookie season, and also gained postseason experience, where he recorded two hits and an RBI.
Who has the edge in the infield, Bregman or Shaw?
Despite appearing in just 114 games last season, Bregman gave the Red Sox 118 hits, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs while hitting .273. His year was shortened by a leg injury, but he still struck out only 70 times and has stayed below 90 strikeouts in every season since 2017. Shaw, by comparison, struck out 94 times last year.
Over his 126 games with the Cubs in 2025, Shaw not only showed he can contribute offensively, but also that he has the versatility to move to the outfield if needed. He recently said it would be “fun” to play there, adding that regardless of position, he knows he has to earn his at-bats.
“And they’ve been transparent with me, just kind of helping me to understand the role — moving to different positions, giving guys an off-day here and there. And I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve played a lot of outfield in my life, so I’ll play some outfield. Probably back up at a couple different positions in the infield. It’s going to be a unique year for sure, but something that I definitely look forward to,” Shaw said.