Cubs' Soler trying to keep season alive, will swing bat Friday
Chicago Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler remains determined to make it back onto the field this season, though the club is still offering no timetable for the slugger's return.
Soler told reporters Tuesday he doesn't believe his oblique injury is season-ending, and that he hopes to swing a bat Friday for the first time since landing on the disabled list early last week.
The playoff-hopeful Cubs could certainly use him.
Despite leading the second wild-card spot by 6 1/2 games, the slumping Cubs have just two wins over their last seven and begin a pivotal series with St. Louis on Monday.
Though injuries have slowed Soler's production this season, the Cubs surely miss his right-handed power in the middle of their lineup. After posting a .903 OPS with five homers in just 24 games last season, the 23-year-old Cuban owns a .266/.325/.385 slash line across 378 plate appearances in 2015.
Soler hasn't appeared in a game since Aug. 23, a day before landing on the DL with a strained left oblique.