In the very near future Chicago Cubs' manager Joe Maddon is going to have to make room on the roster for catcher Miguel Montero. Due to the success of rookie Kyle Schwarber, could Jorge Soler be in risk of losing his spot on the team's roster when Montero returns?
Montero has been out since July 12 with a sprained thumb and could be activated from the disabled list as soon as this weekend, but Maddon is still unsure of how things will shake out.
"I'm not ready yet, specifically, to tell you what the plan is going to be," Maddon told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. "Once Miggy comes back, I want it to be in place so there are no gray areas, that everyone knows what's going on. So those conversations are actively going on.''
Well, Maddon made one thing pretty clear over the weekend when he spoke to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com: Schwarber is probably staying with the team.
"It would be hard to [send him back down]," Maddon said. "We want his bat in the lineup. He's done a nice job behind the plate and shown versatility in the outfield."
Schwarber has been a force in the Cubs' lineup ever since coming up from the minors. The 22-year-old is batting .333/.422/.556 with 15 runs scored, 4 home runs and 13 RBIs in 23 games this season and has been used in the outfield a bit to perhaps have the team prepared when Montero comes back.
This may further jeopardize Soler's current standing.
"The Cubs are looking for ways to keep Kyle Schwarber's bat in the lineup, possibly moving Chris Coghlan from left field to right, which could displace Soler, who isn't hitting for power yet (five homers) and doesn't make up for it on defense (-10.5 UZR/150)," writes Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago.
"Maddon digs run prevention and typically sugarcoats his comments about his own players, so it's telling when the manager grades out Soler's defense as 'average' and doesn't talk him up as a future Gold Glove winner."
Soler is batting .262/.319/.381 with 29 runs scored, 5 home runs and 30 RBIs this season. He has struck out 98 times in 313 plate appearances while drawing only 23 walks and has a defensive WAR of -0.8. In 24 games last season he had the same home run total and only 10 fewer RBIs than he does in 74 games this year.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Soler has played in just 151 minor-league games (due to various injuries) before landing on the Cubs' roster, so it's very possible he needs further cultivation and development in certain areas.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times noted Maddon could use Soler as part of a platoon in right field due to his defensive struggles and allow some left-handed bats (Schwarber, Montero and Coghlan) to face right-handed starters.
Nothing is for certain at this point, but all eyes will be on Soler this week as the Cubs finish up their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and head back to Chicago to open up a four-game set against the San Francisco Giants.
"Maddon says they've been working on it, but when the Cubs get reinforcements, could his subpar play on defense find Soler on the bench?" Rogers posited. "With an underwhelming season at the plate don't be surprised if it happens because the Cubs may not be able to afford more plays like Monday's missed fly ball."
