Tommy Birch

tbirch@dmreg.com

Before Jorge Soler landed on the disabled list, the Chicago Cubs outfielder was struggling through the start of his season.

He believes there is still plenty of time to turn it around.

Soler went 1-for-4 Thursday in his second rehabilitation assignment game with the Iowa Cubs, a 5-4 loss to the Salt Lake Bees before an announced crowd of 5,447 fans at Principal Park.

“The beginning of the season was a little tough,” Soler said through a translator. “I was a struggling a little bit. There’s still a lot of baseball left. I can adjust to all the numbers and put it together.”

Soler’s season has already been full of struggles. The 24-year-old was hitting just .223 with five doubles, five homers and just 13 RBI in 50 games with Chicago this season.

“There’s no reason,” Soler said of his problems at the plate. “I was just struggling.”

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Things somehow got worse for Soler, who suffered a hamstring injury June 6. But the road back has been slow for Soler, who wasn’t even ready to begin a rehabilitation assignment with Iowa until Tuesday.

Then that game was rained out.

“I never thought it was going to be that long,” Soler said of the recovery period. “I thought it was only going to be two weeks. It took longer than that because of the pain and all that stuff — it was coming back.”

Soler said that the pain is gone, and hopefully for good. The long road to recovery hasn’t been easy.

“It’s a little bit frustrating, because I never thought it was going to be this long for the rehab and coming back from the injury,” he said. “Now, I’m 100 percent and everything has gone away.”

Soler has struggled through the early part of the assignment. During his first game Wednesday, Soler went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. He struggled again Thursday, going 1-for-4 with two strikeouts before being lifted. The hit was a pop-up that appeared to get lost in the sun.

Results aren’t the most important thing for Soler early on. Getting comfortable at the plate and being healthy back on the field is priority No. 1 for now.

“He just needs repetitions right now,” said Iowa manager Marty Pevey. “Getting healthy is the most important thing. You’re not going to be able to really work on anything until you have your health."

Soler said he expected to be ready from his rehab assignment after four to five games. But, he could get more time in Iowa. Once one of the organization's biggest prospects, Soler is now a part of a crowded outfield that includes Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr. and Matt Szczur. Dexter Fowler is expected to be activated off the disabled list Friday.

So, where does Soler see himself fitting in?

"I don't know," Soler said. "I don't make that decision. It's not in my control. I'll just be ready here and come back whenever."