According to sources, the Chicago Cubs are promoting Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler from Triple-A Iowa and he will join the roster on Wednesday. The Dodgers plan to do the same with two of their prospects on September 1, while the Blue Jays contemplate the promotion of their top pitching prospect.
ESPN.com says that Soler is the Cubs' top prospect, which might be misleading because third baseman Kris Bryant is widely considered their No. 1. Soler is probably considered the team's top outfield prospect, as the 22-year-old has played in the rookie league, Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa this year, posting a .340 average with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs and a 1.132 OPS in 62 games.
Soler will join a young Cubs team that is seemingly making moves for the future. Chicago has 25-year-old Anthony Rizzo at first base, 24-year-old Starlin Castro at shortstop, 22-year-old Arismendy Alcantara in center field, and 21-year-old Javier Baez at second base. Soler's promotion only makes sense being that Chicago sits in last place of the competitive NL Central and are tied for the sixth-worst record in the MLB.
As for playoff contenders, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays will likely do some promoting of their own in September. Speaking of outfield prospects, the Dodgers probably have the best in Joc Pederson. The 22-year-old has been ripping up Triple-A Albuquerque this season and just became the first 30-30 player in the Pacific Coast League since Frank Demaree in 1934. Pederson is batting .300 with 32 home runs, 74 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. General manager Ned Colletti told ESPN's Jim Bowden that the team plans to call up Pederson as well as Cuban prospect Alex Guerrero on September 1, during an interview on Sirius XM Radio. The team signed Guerrero to a four-year $28 million deal in October and hope to use him in the middle infield.
In Toronto, the Blue Jays have hinted at promoting starting pitcher Daniel Norris to the big leagues, but nothing is set in stone. The 21-year-old has started a total of 24 games this season between Single-A Dunedin, Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo. He's posted a 2.20 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings. He struggled a bit in Double-A with a 4.54 ERA in eight starts, but has rebounded in Triple-A and is 3-0 in his first three starts with a 1.08 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. According to MLB.com's Jamie Ross, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons hinted that the left-hander could be called up in September and be used in the bullpen to limit his innings count.
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