The front office has touted Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler as a near "can't miss" prospect. He started his pro career at the Cubs Class A affiliate. He was supposed to move quickly through the system.
Soler was doing well, hitting 8 HR, 35 RBI, .281 BA. But his development has come to a halt.
On the day after he was named to play in the Futures Game, Chicago Cubs
prospect Jorge Soler has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his
left tibia, which could end his first full season in North America.
Soler,
signed to a $30 million contract in 2012, is expected to be in a
walking boot for four-to-six weeks, which could mean that he won't play
again until he's assigned to the Instructional League or possibly the
Arizona Fall League. He had been sidelined with an ankle injury but it
wasn't known to be so serious.
The severity of the injury was learned before the Daytona Cubs’ doubleheader Thursday.
“It’s
a huge blow for him, a disappointment for us because everyone wants him
to do well,’’ Daytona manager Dave Keller told Sean Kernan of the
Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Soler has had some other small injuries, but is most known for charging an opponent's dugout after an on-field altercation. Keller said at the time Soler was dealing with some "emotional issues."
This injury will set back Soler for at least a year. He will probably return to Class A next season, with the hopes of a promotion by mid-year to Class AA. But since the Cubs front office wants all their players to have at least a full season in Triple-A before going to the majors, Soler's projected Wrigley debut is now mid-2016 at the earliest.
