Soler went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Cactus League win over the Rockies.
Soler tied the game in the sixth inning with a solo blast to left-center field. It was the veteran slugger's third long ball this spring, and he's slashing .385/.484/.769 with seven RBI. Soler is locked into a role as the Angels' primary DH for the coming campaign and could have plenty of run-producing opportunities behind Mike Trout in the batting order.
Angels' Jorge Soler: Expected to bat near top of lineup
Rotowire
Angels manager Ron Washington said Friday that he expects Soler, Mike Trout and Taylor Ward to be the top three batters in the lineup, though not necessarily in that order, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Soler is no stranger to the top of the lineup, as he was primarily slotted in the first third of the order -- including 41 times he batted leadoff -- during his stints with San Francisco and Atlanta last season. Though he batted just .241 overall, the veteran slugger reached base at a .338 clip with the help of a career-best 12.1 percent walk rate. It's not yet clear the exact spot Soler will occupy in the Angels' lineup, and Washington added that it's possible one of the three players he mentioned could instead hit cleanup, but Soler could benefit in terms of run-scoring or run-producing opportunities with a place near Trout if the latter can remain healthy.
The Angels acquired Soler from Atlanta on Thursday in exchange for Griffin Canning, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
There's no money changing hands, so the Angels will be solely responsible for the $32 million Soler is owed over the next two seasons. Slated to turn 33 in February, Soler slashed .241/.338/.442 with 21 home runs over 142 regular-season games between San Francisco and Atlanta in 2024. He is likely to be used mostly at designated hitter with the Angels, although general manager Perry Minasian said Thursday that Soler could play some in the outfield, as well, per Taylor Blake Ward of the Sporting Tribune.
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