Milwaukee Brewers: Is Travis Shaw Back To His Old Self Again?

Travis Shaw has returned from his stint on the Injured List and rehab assignment. Are the Milwaukee Brewers getting an improved player so far?

It’s been three games since Travis Shaw rejoined the Milwaukee Brewers and forced a return to San Antonio for Keston Hiura, which upset a certain portion of the fan base.

Prior to hitting the IL with a wrist injury, Shaw was batting .163/.266/.281 and he just looked awful up at the plate. He didn’t look like himself up there. He didn’t look like the guy who hit 63 home runs over the past two seasons.

Now that he’s back, the Brewers appear to be getting a glimpse of 2017-2018 Travis Shaw again, which is just what both he and the team needed.

Since Shaw’s Return

In his three games since coming back, Shaw is hitting .300 (3-for-10) with three walks and an RBI. Shaw also roped a double in his first game back. Yes, this is a small sample size, and we can’t make significant conclusions from these three games.

But based on the eye test, Travis Shaw appears to be back to his old self.

His at-bats look better, he’s not as lost up at the plate, and he’s getting results. The home run power hasn’t quite returned yet, but he’s a different hitter than he was in the first two months. That much is obvious.

Shaw’s batting average has jumped nine points, his OBP is up 15 points, and his OPS is up 24 points in just three games since his return.

Rest & Reset

Travis Shaw was pressing at the plate, feeling the pressure of needing to get things going during the first two months. To make matters worse, he was trying to play through a nagging wrist injury.

It all culminated in a downward spiral to start the season for Shaw. One that will take a hot stretch through the rest of the season for his 2019 numbers to look anything like normal. But it’s still early enough for him to finish with solid numbers.

Last year, Orlando Arcia didn’t really get going at the plate until August, and was under .200 most of the season. He ended up with a .236 batting average. Shaw is, for the most part, a better hitter than Arcia is, and he could see a similar kind of bump with a strong final four months of the season.

Shaw just needed a mental and physical reset, and he got that with the IL stint and rehab assignment. Now he’s back, and he’s looking like his old self again. And if the Milwaukee Brewers get Travis Shaw back to his old self, with the way Christian Yelich, Mike Moustakas, and Yasmani Grandal are producing, this deadly lineup becomes even deadlier for opposing pitchers.

It’s only a small sample size so far for Shaw’s return. But he’s looked better and that’s a positive first step as the results will continue to come in.