Shaw heats up in Iowa, but no word on when he’ll return to Cubs
Matt Shaw is making some noise in Des Moines, and the Cubs are well aware.
Shaw hit 4 home runs on Thursday and Friday. The last player to do that for the Iowa Cubs was Kyle Schwarber.
Is he ready to return to the majors? Maybe, but the Cubs aren't providing a timeline right now.
“I think he's working on things and I think he's starting to get some results,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Look, we're trying to win games and we're trying to put the player in a good position to succeed. I don't think there's any certainty in any of that.”
Counsell declined to say what the Cubs asked Shaw to work on in Triple-A. A quick examination of the video seems to show he's a bit more upright in his batting stance than he was early this season with the Cubs, while his long, slow leg kick has been toned down.
Heading into Saturday's action, Shaw played in 23 games since being sent down. He's hit .302, with 6 home runs, 14 RBI and more walks (16) than strikeouts (11). He got off to a slow start in Iowa after making the changes, but since April 26, he's hit .362.
“I just feel like I’m back to being myself, being confident and understanding what I have to do to be successful,” Shaw told the Des Moines Register. “It feels good to be in a position where I feel confident and ready for when that (call-up) comes.”
Shaw hit .172 in 18 games with the Cubs at the start of the season before being sent down on April 15.
PCA not MIA:
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the first player in Cubs history to record 12 home runs, 30 RBI and 10 stolen bases in the first 45 games of a season. He's just the fifth player in MLB history to reach those numbers and it hasn't been done since Barry Bonds in 1992. Eric Davis (1987), Lou Brock (1967) and Ken Williams (1922) are the others to do it.
All this was before PCA went 2-for-5 with a triple and 2-run single Saturday. He also made an impressive catch at the wall in the third inning to rob Joshua Palacios.
Crow-Armstrong took over the team lead in RBI from Seiya Suzuki with 38. Pending Saturday's night action, he ranks third in MLB in RBI, behind Aaron Judge and Wilmer Flores.
Around the horn:
Ian Happ did some hitting in the cage for the second day in a row and ran the bases Saturday as he tries to return from oblique soreness. Being activated Tuesday in Miami is the best-case scenario. …
Cubs reliever Ryan Brasier (left groin strain) was expected to pitch at Iowa for the second day in a row Saturday. The right-hander pitched 1 inning for the Cubs in Tokyo, and Saturday would be the fifth appearance of his rehab assignment. …
The White Sox placed pitcher Tyler Gilbert on the 15-day injured list with an MCL sprain in his left knee and recalled left-hander Jared Shuster from Charlotte. Gilbert left the mound during Friday's game.