Mets announcers question Cubs rookie Matt Shaw's attendance at Charlie Kirk memorial

Chicago Cubs rookie Matt Shaw missed Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati to attend the memorial service for his friend Charlie Kirk in Arizona. Shaw said he had the backing of veteran players and coaches, and that the decision was made with the support of the team's leadership as the Cubs fought for playoff seeding.

New York Mets broadcasters Gary Cohen and Todd Zeile criticized the move on SNY, saying it was highly unusual for a team in the thick of a playoff race. "Shaw had Cubs world in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds — a game they lost and in which his lack of presence was felt," Cohen said on air during the Mets' 9-7 win over the Cubs on Tuesday. It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk's funeral.

Zeile said it’s unprecedented, at least from his experience as a player. "And I think it made it a little bit more unusual that it was not revealed until after it came to issue, because he was thought to be in the dugout and maybe available and then was not. That's how it was revealed." Zeile added. "So it became maybe more of a story than it could have been had it been addressed from the beginning." Cohen suggested Shaw's status as a rookie might impact how others view his decision. He also noted that Shaw wasn't granted bereavement, meaning the Cubs couldn’t replace him on the active roster for Sunday's loss. "I thought it was telling that the reason they didn't tell anybody and that they had to play a man short was that the situation did not qualify for baseball's bereavement list," Cohen said. "[I] think that in and of itself gives you a clue as to how it was received by a lot of people."

For his part, Shaw said the decision didn't bother the Cubs. "All the veteran players that I talked to and really the whole team having their support was really important to me," Shaw said earlier in the week. Shaw explained that he and Kirk bonded over the Cubs, the podcaster's favorite team, as well as their shared faith. Kirk was killed during a speech in Utah last week. Weeks prior to his death, Kirk posted a picture at Chicago's Wrigley Field alongside Shaw and teammate Michael Busch. Shaw has endured an up-and-down rookie season in Chicago. The former first-round draft pick out of Maryland is hitting .224 with 12 home runs for the Cubs, who sat at 88-69 after Tuesday's loss.