The Chicago Cubs played their final spring training game stateside on Tuesday afternoon before their official start of the season, falling 9-7 to the Milwaukee Brewers.While there will be another chance for a tune up after the Tokyo Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers before their domestic Opening Day on March 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cubs deployed a lineup on Tuesday which pretty much consisted of what will be seen next Tuesday in Japan.The big news of the day was released before the game when manager Craig Counsell told the media top prospect Matt Shaw would be making the trip to Japan. That was followed up by Shaw being in the lineup for the second day in a row for the first time this spring.After the confidence boost of knowing he is no longer playing for the right to be on the team's roster for the opening two-game set, Shaw came out Tuesday and absolutely blasted a double which nearly got out for a home run and scored Michael Busch from first base.Shaw also added a walk later in the game which showed off impressive plate discipline, another attribute which factors into him being mature beyond his years and likely having a tremendous chance to be in the team's starting lineup during the first game of the season.The inclusion to the Japan roster is not a definitive indicator he will be in the lineup right away, as both Chicago and Los Angeles are allowed to bring a couple of extra non-roster players in case of injury while abroad, but it's a major step towards making that happen.After a massive season in the minor leagues in 2024 where Shaw got even better once he was called up to Triple-A from Double-A, the 23-year-old has started to prove this spring that it would be foolish for him to not begin 2025 at the Major League level.Now that the team has officially left the United States for Japan and is just six days away from taking the field for regular season baseball, it won't be long before Shaw's real status is revealed to fans.If this spring has been any indication, with the rising star slashing .313/.421/.375 with five hits, four RBI and a stolen base in just 16 at-bats, he is ready to go.Recommended ArticlesThis article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cubs as Chicago Cubs Top Prospect Proving He Should Make Opening Day Roster in Japan.

Staging Opening Day in Japan speeds up some personnel decisions that can typically wait until the end of March.