Jorge Soler designated for assignment

The 34-year-old slugger was designated for assignment on Tuesday as the Angels waived the white flag on the season and opted to part with his expiring contract. Soler hit just .203/.291/.373 with 12 homers and 49 RBI in 361 plate appearances with the Halos this season. He’s now free to explore opportunities on the open market. A reunion with the Braves could make sense for both sides here.

Soler hustled and barely beat out a potential inning-ending double play to plate a run in the first and then homered in the fourth. The Angels would like to see him put together a little hot streak here and give himself a little value before the trade deadline. If no one proves interested in him, which seems likely with him hitting .202/.288/.374 to date, he’ll probably be looking at a reduced role down the stretch.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day of maintenance for the 34-year-old slugger. Nolan Schanuel will function as the team’s designated hitter in his place while Vaughn Grissom will start at first base and bat fifth for the Halos against Athletics’ right-hander Aaron Civale.

The Orioles scored once in the top of the 10th, which would have been enough if their defense hadn’t faltered. After two quick outs in the bottom of the inning, with the automatic runner having advanced to third, Nolan Schanuel hit a routine grounder to the right side. It was clearly the second baseman’s ball, but Pete Alonso started to go after it and couldn’t recover and Keegan Akin couldn’t handle a bad throw on the run while trying to cover first. With the throw getting away, Schanuel advanced all of the way to third. Logan O’Hoppe then hit a tapper down the third base line. Samuel Basallo got to it too late to attempt to go to first, and Schanuel was able to run around his tag attempt without being called for being out of the baseline. Akin also made no attempt to get to home plate for a tag play, though that might not have worked out anyway. So, that’s how the Angels won. Soler had nothing to do with the rally, but his two-run homer was the team’s biggest real hit of the game. He has two homers, four RBI and three walks in three games since coming off the IL.

Soler rejoins Los Angeles’ lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Orioles following a two-week absence recovering from a mild oblique strain. The 34-year-old slugging corner outfielder has delivered a pedestrian .220/.300/.402 slash line with nine homers and 33 RBI across 243 plate appearances over 58 games this season. He’s a fringe option in deeper mixed leagues as a cheap power source at this stage of his career, especially given his struggles to avoid the injured list over the past two seasons.

Soler has been out since June 4 with an oblique strain that must have been pretty mild. He was hitting .246/.291/.385 before getting hurt, so he hasn’t been very helpful this year. Still, he figures to return as a regular, partly in the hopes that he’ll put together a hot streak and net a modest return at the trade deadline.

Soler’s hip irritation has morphed into a more concerning injury. The Angels will likely rotate DHs in his absence, with Mike Trout and Jo Adell both likely to see some time there. That would open up outfield starts for Jose Siri.

He’s the second member of the Angels’ lineup to be scratched prior to Friday’s battle against the Dodgers, with Vaughn Grissom dealing with tightness in his side. Adam Frazier will function as the Halos’ designated hitter in his place and will bat ninth against Dodgers’ right-hander Roki Sasaki.

It sounds like a precautionary move since the Angels were leading by a touchdown in the fifth inning when Soler was replaced by Jo Adell in right field. He finished 0-for-2 with a walk out of the leadoff spot. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine evening off for the 34-year-old slugger. Mike Trout will serve as the designated hitter in his absence while Jose Siri will start in center field and bat ninth for the Halos against Rays’ right-hander Nick Martinez.