KC Royals Made the Right Move with Jorge Soler
By David Hill
Yesterday, the KC Royals sent Jorge Soler down to AAA. This was the right move for both Soler and the Royals.
When the KC Royals acquired Jorge Soler for Wade Davis, the expectation was that he would take over as the primary right fielder. Right field had been a problem over the past few years, with the Royals trying to patch that spot in the lineup with players ranging from Jeff Francouer to Alex Rios to Raul Ibanez. It just had not worked.
In Soler, the Royals felt they had their right fielder not only of the present, but of the future as well. However, injuries during Spring Training kept him from the Opening Day lineup. Soler eventually made his Royals debut on May 6, and has struggled since returning to the majors. Over his 65 plate appearances, he has posted a .164/.292/.273 batting line. Expected to provide power to the lineup, Soler has hit just one home run thus far.
Compounding Soler’s struggles have been the performance of Jorge Bonifacio and Brandon Moss. After a horrific start to the season, Moss has started to get back on track, with a .265/.324/.588 batting line in his past ten games. Bonifacio, meanwhile, has been a revelation, taking over the right field job. On the year, he has a solid .281/.331/.509 batting line, hitting seven home runs. The Royals may have found their right fielder of the future, and it was a player that was already in their system.
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However, the Royals still consider Soler to be a part of their future as well. As such, sitting him on the bench, and getting into maybe one or two games a week, is not going to help. With that in mind, Soler was sent down to AAA, as the Royals brought Billy Burns back to help with their upcoming slate in the National League.
Likewise, it may not be a surprise for Soler to remain in the minors for a bit of time. Unless Bonifacio and/or Moss struggle, or the Royals begin to sell off a few of their pieces, there just is not a place in the lineup for Soler. He needs game action, and he will not be getting that in Kansas City.
In a way, one has to wonder if Soler is going to end up facing the same roster crunch he did while a member of the Cubs. With Alex Gordon still entrenched in left, and Bonifacio earning the job in right, there may not be a place for him.
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Jorge Soler is likely to be back with the KC Royals at some point this year. But if Jorge Bonifacio continues to hit, one has to wonder what Soler’s future with the Royals will be.