At long last, the Kansas City Royals will finally start to see some form of results from the Wade Davis trade. Jorge Soler, the young outfielder who the team acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Davis, was activated off the disabled list on Saturday and will make his Royals debut this weekend.
The 25-year-old suffered an oblique strain early in spring training that resulted in him missing the team's first 28 games of the season. During his absence, the Royals have really struggled as a team and they've lacked in run production and home runs.
Now with Soler's arrival, they hope the young outfielder can tap into the raw power that dazzled many during his time in Chicago. In 682 career at bats, Soler hit 27 home runs, 35 doubles and drove in 98 RBIs. But making consistent contact proved to be an issue for him throughout his time in Chicago.
As a Cub, he posted a .258 batting average with a 27.6 strikeout percentage and a 14.6 swinging strike rate. But he did post a 106 wRC+ with a .762 OPS and raised his walk percentage to 11.7 last season.
For fantasy owners, Soler certainly offers plenty of power upside and should receive significant playing time given the Royals current desperation for production and their current record. But fantasy owners will also have to accept that a power hitter in pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium does not do Soler's power any favors and it could cut into some of his potential.
If Soler is available in your leagues, he's absolutely worth a pickup to just see what he can do. On his rehab assignment, Soler collected 12 hits in 39 at bats and hit three home runs. So things are clicking for him really well at the plate right now and the Royals hope that can carry over to the majors.