NEWSLETTER
After taking part in base running drills and batting practice over the weekend at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler is ready to go on a rehab assignment.
#Cubs Soler to report to Iowa for rehab
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 28, 2015
No timetable for how many games Soler will play at @IowaCubs . #Cubs Maddon: "There's no finish line but I think he's not far off"
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) June 28, 2015
Soler bats third and plays right field today for the Iowa Cubs, who play at 12:08pm CT.
The big league Cubs have gone 12-13 without Soler in the line-up, but that hasn’t kept the reserves from holding their own in his absence.
Cubs right fielders as a collective slashed .283/.341/.392/.733 in June through Saturday, with most of the damage coming after Soler’s injury, which occurred on June 1.
Joe Maddon said Soler’s return could provide a big impact to a line-up that could use it, adding: “It lengthens out your lineup and really presents (a) different (look) to the other side. He could really get off and really go crazy offensively.” Soler could be back as soon as Fourth of July weekend against a Marlins team that will be missing Giancarlo Stanton.
Maddon added that the time off could work to Soler’s benefit, as he has yet to play a full season and time off could keep him fresh down the stretch.
Before the injury, Soler was slashing .265/.322/.402/.724 with a .314 weighted on-base average and .383 BABIP.
He had four home runs and 19 RBI, but he also owned a 32.2 strikeout rate that was 7.5 percentage points higher than what he posted in his late-season cameo in 2014.
Soler finished May with a .288/.336/.423/.759 slash line. His 30 hits that month were second to Anthony Rizzo’s 33. It was a welcome sign to see Soler warm up in May after an up-and-down April in which he slashed .224/.318/.293/.611 after his two-homer game against the Reds on April 13.
Your browser does not support iframes.
It has been nearly a month since we have seen a Soler power surge.
Surely, Maddon would like to insert this kind of presence into his line-up in the coming summer months.
Your browser does not support iframes.
