MILWAUKEE -- The rosters for the Futures game were announced on Wednesday and the Chicago Cubs had two players, Jorge Soler and Arismendy Alcantara, named to the World roster.
Soler, a right fielder for high-A Daytona, has missed the team’s last nine games after fouling a ball off his shin during the Florida State League All-Star game on June 15. The injury was originally thought to be minor, but it hasn’t healed as quickly as expected and Soler will have his shin reexamined on Wednesday in Chicago. The highly-touted Cuban slugger is hitting .281/.343/.467 with eight home runs.
Alcantara is more under the radar than Soler, but has been quite impressive at Double-A Tennessee. At just 21, young for his league, the switch-hitting Alcantara has posted an .822 OPS with 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Alcantara has done all this while playing a premium position at shortstop, though manager Dale Sveum did admit that he may end up at second base when all is said and done.
The Cubs have a chance to add a third member to the World roster with Javier Baez being among five finalists who can be placed on the roster via a fan vote. Baez, a shortstop at Daytona, has some of the most impressive power in the entire minor leagues. After struggling to start the season, Baez has come on strong over the last six weeks, opening eyes around the baseball world with his four-homer performance on June 10 and is tied for the Florida State League lead with 16 home runs.