Chicago Cubs suggested to change Matt Shaw’s trajectory amid Seiya Suzuki injury

The Chicago Cubs are facing an injury issue with Seiya Suzuki out, but at times, this can be a good thing. Not that Suzuki is injured, but that a young player can come in and have a chance to learn another position. 

Rather than making an external move, one would be to give Matt Shaw a chance to step into the outfield and prove he can play out there.

Shaw has played third, but his athleticism suggests that he could handle a move, even if it comes with some early struggles. It isn’t like Suzuki is some elite outfielder, too.

Michael Brauner of Sports Illustrated brought up the idea and wrote about why this could make sense, given the circumstances.

“While clearly Shaw does not have a whole lot of experience in the outfield, and there may be some growing pains there, throwing him in the fire early to see if it's a viable solution later may be the way to go if Suzuki's absence is brief... 

“While missing Suzuki is obviously a major bummer, it is also an opportunity to see if Shaw has indeed taken that next step for Chicago,” he wrote.

Ultimately, this would be about more than just filling a temporary hole, as it’d be a chance for the Cubs to learn more about Shaw’s defensive game. 

If he handles the outfield well, Chicago could be in a much better position than it already is.

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