It was a chilly April afternoon at Wrigley Field when fans saw a familiar name flash across the screen: Matt Shaw optioned to Triple-A Iowa. The reaction was swift—gasps, confusion, maybe even a few boos. The 23-year-old third baseman had just won the starting job out of spring training, a promising bat with plenty of buzz. Yet just weeks into the season, the Cubs had made a move that left many scratching their heads.

Shaw, the club’s top infield prospect and 2023 first-round pick, had stumbled out of the gate. His bat, once a highlight reel in the minors, fell silent. He hit just .172 with a .536 OPS through 18 games. The swing looked tentative. The confidence? Fading. Cubs manager Craig Counsell made the call, knowing fully well the headlines would sting. But this wasn’t a punishment, it was a reset.

“You know, he’s just himself offensively right now,” Counsell said following Shaw’s return weeks later. “That’s the biggest positive. He needed the reset.”

Shaw spent just under a month in Iowa, and to put it simply, he raked. He rediscovered his rhythm, tweaked his mechanics, and crushed Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .286 average and six home runs in 24 games. And just like that, the Cubs called him back.

So why send down a future cornerstone in the first place? Counsell didn’t hesitate. “At this level it’s production and the point we’re at, obviously you give guys time to work through it but we just thought we saw enough where we kind of needed to take a break from this level and get some at-bats at Triple-A,” he said back in April. It wasn’t just about numbers; it was about mindset.

And now? Shaw’s bat is alive again. He’s hit safely in five of six games since rejoining the big league squad. His swing has more intent. His confidence radiates. Still, Counsell admits there’s work ahead, especially on defense. “It’s just reps with Matt. He got another three weeks or a month of reps in triple-A, just keep playing the position, I think he will continue to get better….as the season goes,” he added.

In a game obsessed with instant results, Counsell and the Cubs leaned into patience. They pulled their rookie from the fire, let him breathe, and watched him come back burning hotter than ever. Shaw’s story isn’t one of failure, it’s a reminder that sometimes, the fastest way forward is a step back.

“It was exactly what I needed”: Matt Shaw owns the Cubs’ setback

Matt Shaw’s early struggles weren’t just visible, they were loud. Strikeouts piled up, hard contact was rare, and the rookie buzz quickly turned into a quiet murmur. So when the Cubs made the tough call to send him back to Triple-A, it could’ve rattled him. Instead, Shaw leaned in. “There’s not time for young guys to struggle when we want to win,” he told CBS Sports. “So it was exactly what I needed.” This sort of self-awareness is rare in a 23-year-old, especially one just week into his big-league career.

Shaw didn’t just say the right things, he meant them. “I felt like I needed it, even at the time,” he admitted. “As unfortunate as it was, it felt like something that I needed. It was just part of the journey.”

Rather than sulk, Shaw got to work. He reset mentally, made mechanical changes, and rediscovered the swing that got him to the show in the first place. His Triple-A slash line—.286/.409/.560 didn’t just earn him a return trip to Wrigley; it sent a message.

Now back with the Cubs, Shaw is playing like someone who’s been through the fire and came out sharper. “I think half the battle is obviously getting that confidence back,” he said. And it shows. He’s gone 9-for-25 since his return, with five doubles and a renewed sense of timing.

Sometimes, the best way forward is a step back, and Shaw’s already proving it was a move worth making.