Jorge Soler gets a disabled list stint due to a left hamstring strain he sustained in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 6th. Soler smoked a line drive base hit down the left field line, and came up limping as he rounded first base. When he retreated back to the base, he immediately took of his helmet and squatted down, showing that there was definitely an issue. After just a few moments, Joe Maddon made the decision to remove Soler from the game.
Soler had been struggling up to this point in the season, hitting just .223 in 50 games. In his last 15 games, however, Soler was beginning to show signs of improvement at the plate. In 39 at-bats, he was hitting .313 with three homeruns and seven RBIs. Soler has had his issues in his short career with the Cubs, being a top prospect in the organization, but not performing quite up to standards yet. Although, standing in the shadow of other prospects like Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber couldn’t have been easy on him.
Soler has had several small injuries throughout his career that have caused him to miss time, and this is yet another injury that will cause him to miss some games. Hopefully, for Soler’s sake, this doesn’t become a habit. He is definitely a guy that needs to get out there and get opportunities, and Joe has given him every chance he can. Now it will be Soler’s job to come back healthy and start to capitalize on those opportunities given.
In the absence of Jorge Soler, the Cubs recall Albert Almora from AAA Iowa. Almora is currently ranked as the Cubs sixth best prospect, according to Baseball America. He was drafted sixth overall by the Cubs in the 2012 Amateur Draft. He spent all of 2015 at AA, and so far this year he’s been at AAA. Almora is hitting .318 for the Iowa Cubs. He’s driven in 30 RBIs, has 12 doubles, and 10 steals as well. But, he is actually known more for his defense than his offense. Here is a play he made in a spring training game this year. He has played mostly center field, and currently has a .990 fielding percentage throughout his time in the minors.
At just 22 years old, the Cubs will look to slowly give Almora playing time. He is one of the guys who many believe could be the Cubs long term center fielder in a year or two. He wasn’t in the starting lineup on the day of his call-up, but should see action soon. So far this year the Cubs haven’t had a steady, every day left fielder. It has mostly been split between Soler, Matt Szczur, and Kris Bryant. Look for Szczur and Bryant to still make several starts in left while Soler is recovering, but Almora should get his opportunity to show what he can do at the Major League level.
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