Soler went 0-for-2 against the Cubs on Wednesday and is now 0-for-8 with two walks through four spring games. "They're just getting their timing down," manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star. "I don't really think too much about it until about the halfway point."
Soler's getting a chance to sit back and observe Thursday, with Alex Gordon taking over in right field and Brandon Moss in left. He was hit by a pitch on the shoulder in his first at-bat against his former team Wednesday, but Soler stayed in the game and there has been nothing to suggest his absence Thursday is related. The 25-year-old Soler is expected to open the season in an everyday role after coming over from Chicago in a December trade, playing primarily in right field but perhaps seeing occasional time in left.