Cubs option top prospect Matt Shaw to Triple-A Iowa (2025)

SAN DIEGO — As the Cubs evaluated rookie Matt Shaw’s recent at-bats, they saw a hitter almost in “survival mode,” as president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer put it.

“Part of what makes him excellent is the exit velocity as he drives the ball,” Hoyer said Tuesday. “I felt like he probably was getting a little bit contact-oriented just against some of the pitching we’re facing.”

The Cubs optioned Shaw to Triple-A Iowa in a series of roster moves Tuesday. They reinstated utility player Vidal Brujan (right elbow) from the 10-day injured list. On the pitching side, they put reliever Eli Morgan (right elbow impingement) on the 15-day IL, optioned reliever Nate Pearson to Triple-A and recalled left-hander Luke Little and right-hander Daniel Palencia.

“It’s production with where we’re at,” manager Craig Counsell said of optioning Shaw. “And you obviously give guys time to work through it, but we just thought we saw enough where we needed to kind of take a break from this level and go get some at-bats at Triple-A. And the goal is to bring him back here and have him be the third baseman — but as the player we think Matt Shaw is.”

Shaw was hitting .172 in 68 plate appearances. And though his defense has improved, it was something the Cubs could replace.

“If we look at [Kyle] Schwarber, [Ian] Happ, [Anthony] Rizzo, Javy [Baez], all those guys have gone back at some point,” Hoyer said. “This is part of it. It’s just really hard to break into the big leagues. And even guys that sometimes seem like they’ve established themselves need to go back at some point for a reset. So I don’t look at this as a negative.”

In Shaw’s absence, and against Padres right-handed starting pitcher Randy Vasquez, left-handed hitting rookie Gage Workman started at third base Tuesday.

Counsell said all four of the players on the roster who can play third base — also including Jon Berti, Justin Turner and Brujan — likely will make appearances there.

“The biggest jump in this sport is going from any level to the major leagues,” said Turner, a veteran of 17 seasons. “And I think what happens —and I was guilty of this too — is your confidence wavers. And if you don’t have success right away, you start questioning whether or not you belong, or whether or not you can play at this level.

“And my message to [Shaw] will be to just go down and get that confidence back and get that swagger back because you are a really good baseball player. And be ready because you’re going to be back up here. And when you do, come with all the confidence.”

Morgan injury

Morgan’s elbow injury didn’t crop up until Monday, during his second inning of work in the Cubs’ 10-4 loss to the Padres, Counsell said. Morgan replaced Pearson, who gave up three runs in a third of an inning, and recorded a quick two outs to escape the seventh.

Back out for the eighth, however, Morgan issued a walk and allowed back-to-back home runs and a single before exiting. He has yet to undergo imaging, Counsell said.

“We’ll see how he feels as we get back to Chicago, and then figure out what’s next for him,” Counsell said.