CHICAGO \u2014 Matt Shaw, a young talent the Chicago Cubs did not move at the trade deadline while he recovered from a sprained left wrist, expects to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Shaw, 24, has not played in a major-league game since June 28, though his prospect pedigree and last year\u2019s solid rookie season still could have made him a valuable trade chip at the Aug. 3 deadline.<\/p>\n
Shaw reported no issues after hitting off the Trajekt pitching machine<\/a> on Friday at Wrigley Field. The Cubs plan to have Shaw repeat those hitting sessions on Saturday and Sunday, then reassess the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully, if that all goes super smoothly,\u201d Shaw said, \u201cthen Tuesday I\u2019ll be rehabbing in Iowa.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaw\u2019s future in the organization became uncertain when the Cubs landed free agent Alex Bregman in January, signing the All-Star third baseman to a five-year, $175 million contract.<\/p>\n Do trade deadline deals lead to World Series rings?<\/p>\n Joe Crisalli<\/p>\n Another future opportunity for Shaw was blocked once Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner signed a six-year, $141 million contract extension around Opening Day.<\/p>\n The recent emergence of young infielder Pedro Ram\u00edrez, first as a top prospect<\/a> and then as a solid contributor for the major-league club<\/a>, also could have made Shaw expendable.<\/p>\n However, Jed Hoyer\u2019s front office found other ways to reinforce the pitching staff substantially. And Shaw, who\u2019s scheduled to remain under club control through the 2031 season, including two more years at a pre-arbitration salary scale, could be a valuable role player down the stretch and an Opening Day corner outfielder next year.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still a lot of baseball left,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n