The Chicago Cubs have optioned top prospect Matt Shaw to Triple-A Iowa after a disappointing start to the rookie third baseman’s career.

Shaw, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft, is just 10 for 58 (.172) with one homer and three RBIs. He has 18 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances after making his major league debut in the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers on March 18.

“We want to get a productive player back,” manager Craig Counsell said before the Cubs played the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. “Sometimes you have to take a step back to do that. At this level it’s production and the point we’re at, obviously you give guys time to work through it but we just thought we saw enough where we kind of needed to take a break from this level and get some at-bats at Triple-A.”

Counsell, a former major league infielder, said it’s normal for young hitters to struggle.

“He’s just been up against it a little bit to start the year,” he said. “Sometimes it is just some success that kind of reframes it some and gets you good feelings back and good vibes back and gets you back to being that offensive threat.”

A former standout at Maryland, Shaw batted .284 with 21 homers, 71 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in a combined 121 games at Double-A and Triple-A last season.

The Cubs also placed right-hander Eli Morgan on the 15-day injured list because of an elbow impingement. Infielder Vidal Bruján was reinstated from the 10-day IL, and right-hander Nate Pearson was optioned to Iowa. Left-hander Luke Little and right-hander Daniel Palencia were recalled from Triple-A.

Morgan, acquired from Cleveland in November, has a 12.27 ERA in seven appearances. He went 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 32 appearances last season for the AL Central champion Guardians.

The Cubs lost ace Justin Steele to a season-ending left elbow injury.

REDS getting well

The Cincinnati Reds had all their key players for the first time this season after making a series of roster moves before Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

The Reds activated right-hander Alexis Diaz, infielder Matt McLain and outfielder Austin Hays.

Diaz, who was dealing with a left hamstring strain since the start of spring training, made a pair of rehab appearances in Triple A Louisville last week. He was projected to be the team’s closer going into the season, but Emilio Paga´n has converted all four of his save opportunities and has a 1.23 ERA in eight games.

McLain (Beckman High, UCLA) missed last year with a shoulder injury but got off to a strong start this season with home runs in three of his first four games. He went on the IL retroactive to April 5 with a slight left hamstring strain after going 1 for 12 in four April games.

Hays made his Reds debut at designated hitter Tuesday night. He missed the first 16 games with a left calf strain that occurred on the final day of spring training.

Hays signed a one-year, $5 million deal Cincinnati during the offseason after spending last season with Baltimore and Philadelphia.

IT’S A BOY!

Bryce Harper is set to take another swing at fatherhood — and he did it with a blue bat.

The Philadelphia Phillies star used a blue bat in his first plate appearance of Monday night’s game against San Francisco as part of a gender reveal for his fourth child.

A two-time NL MVP, Harper announced in a team meeting that his family was set to grow. He later asked All-Star shortstop Trea Turner for an assist with a most unusual reveal.

Harper had ordered two custom-made bats from Victus Sports — one of the bat manufacturers that produced the torpedo bat — in pink for a girl and blue for a boy.

“He’s a pretty creative guy,” Turner said. “He was nice enough to ask me to do it and I thought it was a nice moment for him and his family.”

Harper and his wife, Kayla, already have three children together. The Harpers have a son named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn. Harper was not immediately available for comment after the Phillies lost 10-4.

“Any time you have a kid, I know it’s a fourth, but still, it’s pretty cool,” Turner said.

Turner had the pink and blue bats in the dugout before the Phillies hit in the first inning. Turner teased Harper with the pink bat before pulling it back and trading it for blue.

“He thought he was having a girl, so I had to mess with him a little bit,” Turner said. “Sure enough, it was a boy. I ended up handing him the blue one and he was pretty happy.”

Harper struck out with the blue bat. He resumed swinging his regular bat for the rest of the game and finished 1 for 5.

“I think he would have been excited either way,” Turner said. “Now he’s got two of each. I feel like, kind of a complete family already, but any time you can add another person to the family, I think it’s special. I think he’s super excited.”