Cubs’ Matt Shaw ‘not concerned’ about backlash for attending Charlie Kirk memorial

Matt Shaw isn’t worried if he faces any backlash after he left the Cubs on Sunday to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial.

Shaw, a 23-year-old rookie, explained to reporters before Tuesday’s clash with the Mets that he had become friends with Kirk this offseason in Arizona and that the slain conservative activist’s wife, Erika, had reached out to him to attend the memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

The 2023 first-round draft pick added that he talked with manager Craig Counsell, president Jed Hoyer and a few Cubs veterans before deciding to attend the ceremony — which also featured President Donald Trump and political figures as speakers — for Kirk just 11 days after the Turning Point USA founder was assassinated at a Utah Valley University event.

Shaw, when asked if he worried about any blowback for attending the event over politics, reiterated he was not.

“Yeah, absolutely, I’m not concerned at all, no,” Shaw said. “My connection was through our faith. That’s something that drives me every day, that’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day. … Whatever backlash comes is OK, I feel strong about my faith that was meant to be.”

Without Shaw, the Cubs, who had already locked up a postseason birth, lost to the Reds, 1-0. He said it was important to have the “support” of his teammates before choosing to leave.

“I made sure that everybody I talked to, I had their support, that they knew why I was going, that I wasn’t leaving just to leave, that it was something that was really important to my faith,” Shaw said per the Chicago Tribune. “It was really nice to see how everyone was able to support me in that moment.

“I felt as though it was something that was really important for me to do. … I was very thankful for how the team responded, allowing me to do that was really special.”

He was back in the lineup against the Mets on Tuesday, hitting eighth and playing third base. Shaw added that he and Kirk texted frequently about the Cubs’ progress this season.

“[Kirk] was one of the biggest Cubs fans I’ve ever met,” Shaw said. “He texted me after every game, ‘Great win for the Cubbies.’ He was super, super, super supportive of us and obviously someone who was very faithful, so we connected on that front as well.”