Angels' Jorge Soler, Placed Back on IL, Says Playing Outfield Has Been Tough for Body

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler landed back on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with low back inflammation, which is also the reason the All-Star missed time earlier this season.

Soler is ordinarily a part-time outfielder, however he has been playing in the field day in, day out since Mike Trout returned from his injury and has filled the DH role. He left Wednesday's game early, and did not feature in the lineup until his placement on the IL.

Soler also missed June 20-July 1 with a back injury.

"I mean, I haven't played in the outfield for a while for years,” Soler said. “And then coming here and playing it, it's tough.”

The slugger has a .215 batting average this season, hitting 12 homers and had begun to heat up before his unfortunate injury. He had two homers in his last five games before exiting Wednesday's game.

"It’s frustrating for me because I haven't performed well,” Soler said. “And I need to play to perform. And it's kind of frustrating to me because I want to play to put up some good numbers, and so far the injury issues haven't let me play enough.”

Soler has the second-lowest OPS of his career with the Angels this season, a .680 mark. He has showcased his elite power at times throughout the season, but has failed to consistently produce results.

The Angels still have Soler under contract through the 2026 season, so they will hope he can recover from his injury and produce the power numbers he has shown throughout his career.