The Los Angeles Angels made a splash on Halloween 2024, trading for slugger Jorge Soler in a move that, at the time, looked like a savvy bit of business. They gave up Griffin Canning-a once-promising arm who never quite found his footing due to inconsistency and injuries-and brought in a veteran power bat with a track record of patience and pop. On paper, it was a low-risk, high-reward play: Soler came cheap, brought 30-homer upside, and was expected to give the Angels some badly needed thump in the middle of the order.
But the reality in 2025 didn’t match the promise.
Soler’s season was defined more by what didn’t happen than what did. His trademark power and plate discipline never fully showed up.
Instead, the Angels got a .215/.293/.387 slash line, nearly a 30% strikeout rate, and just 82 games played before back issues shut him down. The three-true-outcomes hitter they hoped would anchor the lineup instead became another question mark in a season full of them.
Things got even more complicated when Mike Trout-pushed to right field in an effort to keep him healthy-ultimately had to shift to DH, further limiting Soler’s role. That forced the 33-year-old into more outfield duty than anyone was comfortable with, and his balky back paid the price.
The result? A lost year for Soler and another step backward for a team still trying to find its post-Ohtani identity.
Now, heading into 2026, the Angels are left hoping for a rebound. Soler is still on the roster, and with Taylor Ward gone, he’s penciled in as the starting left fielder.
Not ideal for a player with chronic back issues and limited mobility. Yet here we are, with some projections even slotting him into the cleanup spot, banking on a bounce-back season that feels more like a roll of the dice than a calculated bet.
Let’s dig into the data to see what’s driving that optimism-and where the red flags still fly.
Despite the injury-plagued season, Soler’s bat speed remained impressive. He averaged 74 mph in 2025, just a hair below the 75.4 mph he posted in 2024, when he ranked in the 93rd percentile league-wide.
His barrel rate-how often he squared up the ball-was 12.8%, nearly identical to the 12.6% mark from the year before. So, the raw power metrics weren’t completely lost.
But the supporting numbers told a different story. His hard-hit rate and average exit velocity dipped, and his expected slugging (xSLG) was .387-exactly what he slugged in reality. That’s a sharp drop from his .463 xSLG in 2024 and suggests that while he could still find the barrel, the damage just wasn’t the same.
It’s possible that a full offseason of rest and rehab helps. Back injuries are notoriously tricky, and Soler’s profile is one that can age well if he’s healthy enough to keep swinging.
But that’s the big “if.” And with the Angels planning to run him out in left field most days, it’s hard to see how they’ll keep him fresh for the long haul.
Defensively, this is a gamble that could cost them. The Angels were already one of the league’s worst defensive teams last year, and plugging in a near-immobile left fielder with a history of back problems doesn’t exactly scream improvement. It’s a setup that not only puts Soler’s health at risk but could also erode any offensive value he brings if he’s giving runs back in the field.
And that brings us to the bigger picture: the state of the Angels’ lineup.
After Zach Neto at the top, things get murky fast. Nolan Schanuel remains a mystery box.
Mike Trout is still Mike Trout in name, but the team can’t count on MVP-level production anymore. Jo Adell flashed some power last season, but he’s still too one-dimensional to trust in a key role.
Logan O’Hoppe needs to reset after a tough year, Yoán Moncada is more of a glue guy than a centerpiece, and second base is a revolving door.
In that context, Soler becomes one of the few bats with proven power potential-albeit with a lot of caveats. He’s the best option to hit cleanup not because he’s earned it lately, but because the Angels simply don’t have many other choices.
So, what does all this mean?
It means the Angels are betting big on a bounce-back from a 34-year-old slugger with a bad back and defensive limitations. They need Soler to be more than just serviceable-they need him to be a middle-of-the-order force. And that’s a tall order given the circumstances.
There’s still a chance Soler finds his swing again. The bat speed is there, the barrel rate is encouraging, and a clean bill of health could go a long way. But asking him to carry the load-especially while playing the outfield every day-is a risky proposition.
Bottom line: this Angels lineup has potential, but it’s thin. And unless multiple players outperform expectations or rediscover their past form, it’s hard to see this group rising above mediocrity. Soler could be a key piece in that puzzle-but only if everything breaks right.