Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw is expected to be back with the team for Tuesday’s series opener against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field after missing Sunday’s game to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial in Arizona.
Shaw missed the 1-0 loss to the Reds in Cincinnati to go to “the funeral of a friend,” manager Craig Counsell said postgame. The 23-year-old rookie was at Kirk’s memorial Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., sources told the Tribune and confirmed by photos. Shaw’s wife, Danielle, shared videos to her Instagram account of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Kirk’s wife, Erika, on stage at the event.
Kirk, a conservative podcaster, founder of Turning Point USA and close ally of Trump, was shot and killed during a speaking event Sept. 10 at a Utah college. Shaw was scratched from the Cubs lineup that night in Atlanta for personal reasons, though he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. After that game, he declined to talk to the media through the team’s media relations representative.
Kirk, 31, graduated from Wheeling High School and was a Cubs fan. After attending an Aug. 20 game at Wrigley Field, Kirk shared to his X account a postgame, on-field photo of himself in a Cubs hat with Shaw, who was giving a thumbs up, and first baseman Michael Busch, captioned “Cubs win!”
Shaw was not eligible to be put on MLB’s bereavement list. The collective bargaining agreement limits bereavement-list qualifications to a serious or severe illness or death in a player’s immediate family (spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, child or grandchild) or in a player’s spouse’s immediate family. An absence such as Shaw’s is up to a team’s discretion, and the Cubs granted him permission to leave for the memorial.
The Cubs were forced to play short-handed Sunday, and it limited Counsell’s options in a pivotal spot late in the game. Shaw typically is in the lineup against lefties — left-hander Andrew Abbott started for the Reds. Without Shaw available, Justin Turner got the start at third base, Carlos Santana slotted in as the designated hitter and Busch made just his 11th start this year with a lefty on the mound.
In the ninth, Counsell couldn’t pinch run for Moisés Ballesteros, who represented the tying run after leading off the inning with a walk. Backup catcher Reese McGuire was the only bench option remaining with switch-hitting Willi Castro on deck to pinch hit for the next batter, Turner.
Reds righty reliever Tony Santillan struck out Castro and walked Busch to put two on for Pete Crow-Armstrong, who struck out looking to end the game.
Although the Cubs clinched a playoff spot Wednesday, their first since 2020, they still are attempting to lock in the top National League wild-card spot. They entered a day off Monday three games up on the San Diego Padres for that position. If that holds, the fourth-seeded Cubs would host the fifth-seeded Padres for a best-of-three wild-card series beginning Sept. 30 at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs selected Shaw in the first round of the 2023 draft and envisioned him as a potential key piece of their future infield. He moved to third base in the offseason and won the starting job in spring training. The Cubs optioned him to Triple-A Iowa in mid-April after offensive struggles and recalled him a month later.
Shaw’s defensive improvement at third has helped him stay in the lineup through inconsistent offensive production this year. His 13 defensive runs saved are tied for 12th in the majors among all positions, according to FanGraphs.