We know that, after the arrival of Alex Bregman at third base, the Chicago Cubs have been planning to utilize Matt Shaw in a super utility role for the 2026 team.
We know from some of the best Cubs teams in recent memory, it’s a very valuable player to have available, if he can pull off the significant demands. Not only must the player perform throughout the season at multiple defensive spots with all the different throws and footwork and routes and mental processes attached thereto, but he must also be able to hit at a league-average level (or close to it) while getting only sporadic playing time. It’s a lot to ask of a young player who is still trying to develop and improve overall. But the Cubs know Matt Shaw is very talented, hard-working, and naturally-athletic, so the fit is there.
The most obvious new tool that Shaw has needed to add to his tool bag is the ability to play capable outfield defense, at least in the corner outfield spots. Although the Cubs expect to have a reserve outfielder on the bench (likely one of Kevin Alcantara, Dylan Carlson, Chas McCormick, or Justin Dean), you would obviously like the ability to maneuver Shaw and the other outfielders around to optimize match-ups and give appropriate rest. Moreover, if the Cubs believe Shaw’s bat has the most upside of that group in the near-term, then you’re going to want him able to play average or better defense at every single spot possible.
To that end, Cubs coach Quintin Berry has been working with Shaw on the physical and mental skills for the position (Cubs.com):
Cubs third-base coach Quintin Berry, who works with the team’s outfield group, has already had one-on-one defensive sessions with Shaw this spring. Angles off the bat are the main focus right now. Berry has also explained to Shaw that he did not need to alter the type of setup he has as an infielder. In fact, Pete Crow-Armstrong adopted an infielder’s “prep step” last year in center.
“You’re thinking, ‘I’ve got to be this great outfielder,’ when your job is your job,” Berry said. “That’s his biggest thing — don’t come out there and feel like you’ve got to go out there and make this huge impact. It’s just: be good at what you need to be good at.
“He’s such a good athlete, and I think he has such great confidence in his athleticism and his ability to play defense. I think the transition is going to be very easy for him.”
If things do go well with Shaw on defense and at the plate, Bruce Levine suspects that one thing we’ll see is some coordinated maneuvering when there are lefties on the mound:
.@MLBBruceLevine shares details on the Cubs' plan to use Matt Shaw in right field quite a bit.Specifically, when left-handers start for the opponent, Seiya Suzuki will often be at DH and Shaw figures to be in right field. pic.twitter.com/rQHjQ6575C
— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) February 17, 2026Obviously you’re not going to want Seiya Suzuki sitting against lefties, so keeping him in there is a given. The questions then are whether you want Shaw’s bat over Moises Ballesteros’s (and, given the latter’s splits against lefties, which are rough, that does make sense), and whether you’d rather have Shaw in right field or DH. I would be surprised if Shaw is immediately that much better defensively than a lifetime outfielder in Suzuki, but I suppose it’s plausible that he’s close enough that you like the idea of giving Suzuki a half-day off. We saw that he can succeed just fine when only DH’ing, so this might be a way to buy a little extra rest for a regular.
The other conceivable way this could play out?
Well, consider that Seiya Suzuki is going to be playing center field for Samurai Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and Craig Counsell said this week that Suzuki may also start in center field in the first couple Spring Training games to gear him up for that duty. Now imagine that Suzuki shows he is passable in center field – maybe moreso than Shaw would be out of the gate. If that were to happen, then you could also at least conceive of some days where you give Pete Crow-Armstrong a breather against a tough lefty (going to be VERY rare because of his game-changing glove), you have Suzuki in center, Shaw in right, and then someone like Tyler Austin getting a game at DH if he’s clobbering lefties. That would certainly maximize your lineup in the right match-ups.
There is also the consideration that, at times, Ian Happ is considerably better from the left side of the plate than the right, and maybe you would want Shaw to be able to spell Happ from time-to-time, too (either directly, or by way of Suzuki playing in left for a day). The sample is very small, but Shaw raked against lefties last year (125 wRC+), so he may be able to outproduce a lot of other options on the roster in the right match-ups.
I suppose the overall point here is that, if Matt Shaw shows through the spring that he can definitely play solid corner outfield defense, then the possibilities open up for the Cubs to really optimize match-ups against left-handed pitching, in particular. You’d want Shaw in there everyday for those games as long as he isn’t killing the defense.
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