The Cubs made an effort to sign veteran free agent Alex Bregman this offseason but came up short, as the All-Star agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, where he is expected to play second base in 2025. With Bregman out of the picture, Cubs prospect Matt Shaw now has a clear path to becoming the team’s starting third baseman. However, the biggest obstacle standing in his way isn’t competition—it’s his own health.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including The Athletic‘s Patrick Mooney, that Shaw is dealing with an oblique issue that will slow his start to spring training. Ranked as a consensus top-50 prospect in baseball for the past two seasons, Shaw put up impressive numbers in 2024, slashing .298/.395/.534 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs over 35 games at Triple-A. According to Bruce Levine of WSCR Chicago, Shaw sustained the injury while swinging a bat and has been unable to take swings for the past four days. While Counsell considers the injury “day to day,” oblique issues can be tricky, making his return timeline uncertain.
Unfortunately for the Cubs, Shaw isn’t the only player in camp dealing with an oblique injury. Right-hander Javier Assad has been diagnosed with a mild left oblique strain and will be sidelined until his symptoms subside, multiple reports confirmed. However, Counsell remains optimistic, telling the Chicago Tribune that he doesn’t expect Assad to be out for long.
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The Cubs will begin their regular season earlier than most teams, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19. As a result, their spring training activities in Mesa, Arizona, are ramping up sooner than usual. While both Assad and Shaw still have time to recover, veteran Jon Berti is likely to see significant playing time at third base if Shaw is unable to start the season on time.
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