Angels quietly leaning on Jorge Soler more than fans might realize

When Perry Minasian traded for Jorge Soler on October 31, 2024, it looked like a stroke of genius from the Los Angeles Angels' general manager. The Angels' DH spot had been a rotating cast of disappointments throughout the 2024 season, while Soler had established himself as a consistent slugger, was on an affordable contract, and only cost Griffin Canning, whose days with the Halos were numbered anyway.

Unfortunately, Soler proved to be a Halloween trick rather than a treat in 2025. After getting off to a cold start, Soler was forced into the outfield every day and that led to a couple of different injuries, lots of missed time, and Soler posting a .215/.293/.387 line.

Now, Trout will be back in center field, and that will bump Soler to DH, where he is most comfortable. That could be a huge boost for the Angels' lineup.

Jorge Soler's return to DH could elevate the Angels' lineup in 2026

Soler isn't a star, but for most of his career, he has been a solid, three-true-outcomes type of slugger. He won't wow you with his batting average, as his career .241 mark indicates, but he typically draws walks and hits dingers.

Getting on base via the walk is something the feast-or-famine Los Angeles lineup was missing last season. Angels' hitters posted a collective .298 OBP, which was 28th in the league. The club's 8.1% walk rate ranked 21st.

Last season marked Soler snapping a nine-year stretch of posting a walk rate of 10% or better. As he struggled, he whiffed more and saw his walks decrease to 8.9%. For his career, he owns a 10.6% walk rate, and he has been even better drawing free passes later in his career, posting three seasons with a mark over 11% in the four-year span between 2021 and 2024.

As for power, while Soler has a 48-homer season on his résumé, that came in the juiced-ball 2019 campaign. The 34-year-old also clubbed 36 taters in 2023 and had been a consistent threat to hit at least 20-25 homers a year.

The big question will be, can he stay healthy? Moving back to DH saves the Halos from his defensive ineptitude in the outfield, but also serves to get him off his feet and hopefully prevent his balky back from acting up.

The dirty little secret is that the Angels desperately need Soler to revert to his vintage form. Losing Taylor Ward hurts the lineup more than most would like to admit, but if Soler is back posting roughly 120 wRC+ seasons by hitting for power and drawing walks to keep the baton moving, the unit will be deeper and more threatening.

It's always tough to tell once non-star players reach their mid-30s if they'll enter a free-fall, but with Soler's unfortunate injuries last season, there's a better than average chance that his 2025 scuffles are nothing a clean bill of health can't cure. At least, that's what the Angels will hope proves to be true in 2026.