Cubs boss defends top prospect’s AAA demotion with Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo examples

Chicago Cubs' top propect Matt Shaw has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa but president Jed Hoyer maintained that it is a necessary part of the yougnster's journey in the MLB. The 23-year-old made his major league debut in the Tokyo Series earlier this year but a disappointing run of performances now has seen him demoted to the minors. While it may be a step back for Shaw, Hoyer cited examples of Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo, who were both demoted at one point before becoming established stars.

Matt Shaw was the Chicago Cubs' first round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft and won the Southern League's MVP in Double-A last season. However, his promotion to the big leagues this year has shown that he still has some way to go before becoming a regular in the Chicago lineup.

After announcing Shaw's demotion on Tuesday, president Jed Hoyer spoke to the media and explained the reason behind the move (via Marquee Sports Network):

“We look at Schwarber, Happ, Rizzo, Javy, all those guys have gone back at some point. This is part of it. It's really hard to break into the big leagues.”

"Even guys that sometimes seem like they've established themselves need to go back at some point for a reset. So, I don't look at this as a negative, it's almost part of the process. I'm sure he learned a lot, he faced a lot of really good pitching... I think he'll come back better and more ready to go."

"And I think that when you look at all the guys that I just mentioned, all of them at the time were not thrilled about it. All of them later on would admit that it was probably the right thing at that point. Because I do think that this league is unrelenting and at times you just need to take a step back before you take a step forward."

Both Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo had long spells with the Chicago Cubs during the earlier stages of their careers and were similarly demoted to the minors to improve their game. Both players have since become World Series winners and played for some of the biggest teams in the country.

Chicago Cubs end San Diego Padres' unbeaten run at Petco Park

San Diego Padres went eleven games unbeaten in their home stadium Petco Park before falling to their first loss at the hands of the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. After the Chicago side lost the first game of the series, they managed a 2-1 win in Game 2 to level things up.

As a low-scoring game went into extra innings with the score tied at 1-1, Nico Hoerner hit a go-ahead triple in the tenth before Caleb Theilbar secured the win. The series-deciding final game will be played on Wednesday.