The Royals have optioned outfielder Jorge Soler to Triple-A Omaha, the team announced. Outfielder Billy Burns has been called up in a corresponding move.
[Updated Royals depth chart at Roster Resource]
As Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star notes (on Twitter), the move has some strategic short-term logic, as Burns provides more defensive versatility for the Royals’ five games in NL ballparks next week. In the big picture, however, the move comes as a way to get Soler some regular playing time during what has been a very lackluster start to his Royals career.
Kansas City acquired Soler from the Cubs in a one-for-one trade for Wade Davis in the offseason, with the hopes that Soler would emerge as something of a post-hype breakout candidate. A heavily-touted prospect out of Cuba, Soler battled injuries and hit .258/.328/.434 over 765 PA as a Cub from 2014-16, eventually getting squeezed out of playing time due to Chicago’s outfield depth.
Since joining the Royals, however, injuries and a roster crunch have again limited Soler’s value. After missing all of April with an oblique strain, Soler has posted just a .565 OPS over 65 plate appearances this season and lost the regular right field job to the hot-hitting Jorge Bonifacio. With Brandon Moss in the DH spot on most days, there simply hasn’t been much room for Soler to get into the lineup, especially given his lack of performance.
Soler is still just 25 and is under contract through the 2020 season, as per his original nine-year, $30MM deal with the Cubs. The Royals clearly still see the outfielder as an important long-term piece, so it behooves both sides that Soler gets on track with an everyday role in Triple-A. It’s hard to estimate exactly how long Soler will be in the minors, though with the Royals in last place and potentially facing a selloff of several veterans at the deadline, he’ll surely be back in K.C. before the season is out.
Jose Tabata 2.0.
Be careful!
He could replace Alex Gordon…
Just an injury bug guy. Never healthy long enough to realize the upside talent.
Not enough for Wade Davis
Considering what top tier relievers have been going for the last couple years, this wasn’t a good trade.
Exactly!
1 year of davis (what? 60 innings) vs 5+ years of what should be a solid, cheap 2-3 WAR player.
Key word in there is “should” you can’t use that word when describing this guy!
IF Soler ever turns things around. At this point, pitchers have his number and he has not been able to adjust. This season he is in negative WAR. Last season he was 0.7 WAR. The year before it was 0.1 WAR. Watching him play, I don’t think he will ever be more than a 4th OF. If he continues like this he will be lucky to put up 2-3 WAR total over his career.
A reliever that puts up 30-40 saves and an ERA under 2.00 is more valuable to the team than WAR indicates.
Right now this was a ridiculously bad trade for the Royals with Soler in AAA. If he comes back and can contribute at the same level as last season for the 3 more seasons until his contract is up and he becomes a FA then it’s still a bad deal for the Royals.
The word “should” implies a lot and this guy has always had words like that attached to him.
Yep, it was a horrible trade for KC. Thought they’d get a lot more than just Soler for one of the best relievers in the game.
The Royals lost that trade… I saw that when it happened, never understood it.
I’d have agreed with you then, except that Davis had been on the DL twice for “forearm strain.” Seemed like a reasonable enough risk for KC given the possibility that Davis could have required TJS and left them paying most or all of his 2017 for nothing.
Any service time implications? He finished with only 2.033 years last year. Could he be down just long enough to get an extra year of control I am not exactly sure but down six days might do it. I understand this only matters if he improves enough for anyone to care.
Fairly confident that service time is irrelevant in his contract. His contract stop date is after the 2020 season no matter what happens.
Unless there’s specific language to the contrary, he’s still subject to 6 yrs service time before free agency. If he’s short of that after his contract he goes year to year with arbitration.
Boy did the Cubs fleece the Royals. HAHAHAHAHAAHAHA.
Given the fact Cubs bandwagon fans swore by this guy”much like Schwarber” point not taken!
you cant really say that yet. cubs get davis for 1 year. if soler bounces back and has even 1 year at 2 WAR its a wash. if he has 2-3, its a steal.
I agree Antonio, provided Soler gets back on track. I believe it’s worth mentioning the speculation about Davis and possible TJS last summer as a factor in KC’s decision as well.
Its what he needs, like Grichuk theyre both totally capable of being big league semi-regulars at least, and getting in regular ABs is what all struggling hitters need to be able to analyze and figure out adjustments.
What a bad trade that has turned out to be for the Royals.
Jose Guillen 2.0. BUM!!!
Outinleftfield you should have said soler would only be a 4th outfielder on a bad team
I think they should try him out at 1st base in AAA, He has the body for it and maybe it would have the same effect as Wil Meyer – stop worrying about defense and getting yourself hurt, and just hit. The 1 HR he hit for us left the ballpark and crossed the border into Kansas. I’d like to see more of him. Hard to get into any kind of rythm if you don’t get at bats.