Chicago Cubs: Jorge Soler, Dexter Fowler on rehab assignments

The Chicago Cubs could see Dexter Fowler back by the end of the week. He and Jorge Soler are starting rehab assignments in Des Moines this week…

Chicago Cubs outfielders Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler could be finally on their way back to a return to the Major League lineup, but first, they’ll begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa.

According to Cubs manager Joe Maddon, the stay in Des Moines will be shorter for Fowler than it will for Soler, though both are dealing with hamstring issues. While no injury is anything to take lightly, hamstring injuries in specific can be troublesome for everyday baseball players.

With Fowler and Soler out for an extended period of time, and Kyle Schwarber out for the season, the Cubs have been missing the entire outfield that played in last year’s NLCS.

Joe Maddon has no shortage of creativity when it comes to putting together a lineup, so we’ve seen pretty much everyone out there for the Cubs this season. They’re opening this series with the New York Mets with Willson Contreras, Albert Almora Jr., and Matt Szczur in the outfield.

It’s not a desperation situation for the Cubs, but the absence of Dexter Fowler in particular has been an issue. The Cubs’ struggles over the last month started right around the same time Fowler went to the disabled list.

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So far this season, Fowler is hitting .290 with seven home runs and 28 runs batted in, but his on-base percentage is phenomenal at .398. The sooner he is back in the lineup, the better.

For Soler, it hadn’t been as fruitful a year. In 50 games, he was hitting .223 with five home runs and 13 RBI. Still, having him back will be an added bit of power at the bottom of the Cubs’ lineup. It could also be that Soler comes back and has a quick audition for another team in a trade.

His value might not be very high, but the potential is definitely there for the 24-year old Soler. In 19 postseason at bats last year, he hit .474 with three home runs, three doubles, and he also drew six walks while striking out just five times.

The Cubs haven’t seen that kind of production from Soler for any stretch this year, but he provides additional upside with the bat that the Cubs’ bench could use.