Chicago Cubs How long can we expect Almora to stay in the big leagues?

Albert Almora was just promoted to the big leagues on June 7th. Now, it might be time to discuss when he’ll get sent back down to Triple-A Iowa.

The Chicago Cubs recently called up Albert Almora, their #5 prospect (according to MLB.com), a move that has generated vast excitement around the city of Chicago. Despite his promotion, one has to wonder how long Almora will stay in Chicago this season.

Obviously, Almora’s promotion came on the cusp of one of the team’s regular outfielders (Jorge Soler) going on the 15-day DL with a hamstring injury. While it is unclear how long Soler will be out, it seems safe to say that he will get his roster spot back once he’s healthy enough to return.

Almora’s big league career is just in its infant stages, as he has only appeared in four games thus far. In those four games, he has accumulated nine at-bats, getting two hits and scoring two runs over that span, hitting .222 in the process.

While it is definitely too early to judge Almora for what he has done at the plate, the same cannot be said for his defense. Despite starting two games only so far, Almora has made it known that he is a force to be reckoned with in the outfield.

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If there’s one thing Almora definitively is better at than Soler, it’s playing defense. In no way do I want to criticize Soler for being a poor defender, but Almora is just that good. In fact, many have predicted him to be a future Gold Glove award winner in the MLB, all before playing an inning in the show.

With Almora in left field, one can argue that the Cubs can potentially play three center fielders all at once. Obviously, Dexter Fowler is the team’s starter in center, but right fielder Jason Heyward was expected to fill that role before Fowler shockingly re-signed with the Cubs in Spring Training.

Although the Cubs probably would gladly play three plus defenders in their outfield, it simply does not seem plausible that they would give Soler’s job away that easily. Soler has struggled to open the 2016 season, yes. However, he also was beginning to turn things around at the dish before landing on the DL.

In his last 15 games, Soler has hit .308 with three home runs and seven RBI. Although these numbers might not be on an MVP-level, having Soler hit like that for the rest of the season would be just what the doctor ordered for the Cubs, especially considering he was fourth on the depth chart to start the 2016 campaign.

So what does this mean? Essentially, Almora’s spot on the big league roster is murky at best as of today, especially after the Cubs re-acquired outfielder Chris Coghlan on Thursday. With Coghlan in the fold and Soler returning eventually, Almora seems to be the odd man out in the team’s outfield.

Although it may appear Almora is the odd man out, there is a way he can stick on the roster, but that would require him to force the issue. Essentially, Almora needs to hit so well that the Cubs would be foolish to re-demote him, all while continuing to play fantastic outfield defense. Nothing is impossible (see Kyle Schwarber‘s debut in 2015), but it is rather unlikely.

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Almora has a very bright future, hopefully, one that finds him in Chicago. For 2016 though, it seems likely that much of Almora’s summer will be spent back in Iowa, playing in Triple-A until he gets another shot at the big leagues in September when rosters expand.