Cubs Promote Pedro Ramírez, Place Matt Shaw on IL

Ramírez, 22, is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 85 prospect in baseball and the No. 2 prospect in the Cubs’ farm system. He was Chicago’s No. 18 prospect just a year ago but has quickly catapulted to the top with his breakout performance at Triple-A this season.

Through 43 games with Iowa this year, Ramírez is batting .312/.395/.547 with a 92.4% in-zone contact rate and just a 16.3% strikeout rate. The switch-hitter has paired his elite contact skills with newfound power, tallying 21 extra-base hits, including a career-high nine home runs.

In addition to his well-rounded offensive profile, Ramírez is an effective baserunner and a strong defender at second and third base. He is 19-for-21 on stolen base attempts this season, and in 2025, he won a Minor League Gold Glove Award for his work at third base. The versatile defender also recently began seeing time in left field at Iowa.

Ramírez is not in Friday’s starting lineup, nor is he expected to immediately step into an everyday role for Chicago. Even if he does not play much, Cubs manager Craig Counsell believes this experience will be beneficial for the top prospect.

“It’s not going to be a big playing role,” Counsell said, adding that he could see occasional starts while serving as a versatile bench option. “If it’s not going to be a playing role, it’s probably going to be a shorter stint. But I think it’s also good for him to get exposure to the major leagues, get exposure to the group, get exposure to the schedule, so that if we run into a situation where it is a lot of playing time, he doesn’t have to go through it for the first time while playing.”

As for Shaw, the 24-year-old’s backdated IL placement suggests he could return as soon as next weekend. He was in the midst of an ice-cold stretch before the injury, going 1-for-22 at the plate in May. Overall this season, he has batted .242/.291/.400 and played six positions in 42 games.