Jorge Soler’s ankle injury could lead to interesting arrangement for Cubs
The Chicago Cubs depth took a hit Wednesday when they learned rookie outfielder Jorge Soler will require a stint on the disabled list with a left ankle sprain.
Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun Times speculated about a timeline that would keep Soler out until the All-Star break. However, manager Joe Maddon sounded more optimistic meeting the media before Wednesday’s game, suggesting Soler could return as soon as two or three weeks.
Either way, he will miss time and the Cubs will miss his presence.
As of Thursday, Soler is leading all MLB rookies with 50 hits. He’s also second to Steven Souza Jr. in strikeouts among rookies with 67 and has only hit four home runs through two months despite immense power. He’s not without flaws, but he’s still a force in the lineup that teams are forced to respect. The Cubs have a handful of hitters in that category now, but will miss Soler’s bat nonetheless.
Soler has also featured a game-changing right arm in the outfield during his short time in the majors, which gives the Cubs another advantage. All things considered, he’s one of the team’s most important all around pieces.
With that in mind, the Cubs have some options they can explore to replace Soler.
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In the short term, they’ve recalled Mike Baxter to supplement their outfield and bench depth. That should mean more immediate playing time for Junior Lake in right field, which should also keep Kris Bryant exclusively at third base for the time being.
The Cubs also have Arismendy Alcantara in the minors. He’s capable of playing the outfield and second base.
The other option that’s currently in motion is moving Javier Baez from second to third base. That experiment began Wednesday at Triple-A Iowa, and if effective could result in Baez being recalled to temporarily play third while Bryant moves to left field.
So nothing is set in stone, but obviously there are several moving parts involved.
Given the sometimes unpredictable nature of lower leg injuries, it’s a situation where they simply can’t hang their hat on a short term absence for Soler. By the same token, they’re using this time to examine big picture possibilities as well, which could serve them well regardless of Soler’s status.
There’s a lot of forward thinking from Joe Maddon, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, and once they sort who can do what with confidence, it’ll help them add the final pieces to an interesting puzzle.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
