The Chicago Cubs‘ signing of Alex Bregman will have adverse consequences for 2025 third baseman Matt Shaw’s playing time.
But Shaw opened about his role in 2026 and why he’s ready to be the team’s jack-of-all-trades utility player for the Cubs.
Shaw the Cubs’ primary third baseman in his rookie season, since he played 124 games at the hot corner in 2025. But Bregman, a two-time World Series champion with the Houston Astros who signed a five-year, $175 million contract in Chicago, has exclusively played third throughout his career and expects to be again if healthy.
Matt Shaw Will Play the Utility Role For the Cubs
Bregman may be away from Sloan Park while representing the United States at the World Baseball Classic, but Shaw has rarely seen action at his primary position so far in spring training.
Shaw is training to play the Ben Zobrist role for the Cubs. He has started spring-training games at right field, center field, first base, second base and his customary third base throughout 12 games while getting 33 at-bats.
“Honestly, it’s been a lot of fun,” Shaw said of his diverse spring training experience. “It kind of feels a little bit like Little League again, playing a bunch of different positions and moving around.”
Shaw made his first-ever pro appearance at first base while going 1 for 1 with a run scored in the Cubs’ 9-8 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.
“There’s small nuances that I’m learning,” Shaw said after the game. “But overall I feel like I covered all the basics pretty well. It’s small things that I’m learning. Obviously, it’s Day 1 ever at first, but overall I feel really, really good.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell has experience playing the utility role, though he was confined mostly to the infield throughout his 1,624-game big-league career. He spoke about the challenge Shaw is facing and how he has met it.
“Look, we’re giving him kind of a difficult Spring Training experience here,” Counsell told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. “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.”
Matt Shaw Will Play if he Keeps Hitting
Zobrist played 147 games and picked up 523 at-bats in the Cubs’ magical 2016 season, which is a good goal for Shaw to achieve in 2026. The more positions he can play, and spell veterans like Bregman, Michael Busch, Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki, the more plate appearances he’ll get.
“I want to get as many at-bats as I possibly can,” Shaw said. “If that means playing a lot of different positions, then I think it kind of just is what it is.”
Shaw also explained why he is both being selfish, by earning at-bats, and acting in the Cubs’ best interest.
“If I can continue to get better at those positions, then I think I’ll be in a good place to, No. 1, get a lot of at-bats, and No. 2, give guys days off if they need it to keep our team healthy going into October,” Shaw said.
Cubs Infielder Matt Shaw Reveals Update on His Role Heading Into 2026 Season