Jorge

Soler

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.

Soler and Donovan Walton were the only players to register a hit for the Angels in Wednesday’s loss to the Tigers. Soler’s single in the second inning pushed his hitting streak to five straight games, but the right-handed slugger has just one extra-base hit in the past week and only two RBI over that span.

It looks to be just a routine day off for the 34-year-old slugger. Mike Trout will function as the team’s designated hitter while Jose Siri will start in center field and will bat seventh for the Halos against Athletics’ right-hander Luis Severino.

Soler is 3-for-23 with no RBI and 10 strikeouts in his last six games, dropping his average back down to .221. The Angels’ recent lineup shifts haven’t touched Soler in the cleanup spot, but perhaps there’s a chance he’ll find himself batting lower against the Dodgers this weekend.

The 34-year-old slugger served his time from brawling with Braves’ right-hander Reynaldo López last week. He returns to a .231/.342/.508 slash line with five homers and 18 RBI in 79 plate appearances through his first 18 ballgames. Fantasy managers have to be thrilled with the power production that he has provided to start the season.

And so ends the Soler suspension drama. The 34-year-old was suspended for seven games last Wednesday, but appealed the suspension and continued playing. While fantasy managers waited to see when the suspension would be official, Soler went 6-for-29 with three home runs, eight RBI, and six runs scored. Soler can return on Sunday against the Padres, but get him out of your lineups now if you can.

Soler doubled in the third inning and came around to score on an RBI single by Yoán Moncada, but the veteran righty did his most damage in the eighth inning when he hit a grand slam off reliever Sam Moll to push the Angels’ lead to 10-1. It was the fourth homer of the season for Soler, who pushed his RBI total to 15 on the young season and is currently riding a six-game hitting streak and three-game home run streak.