Thursday night, the Atlanta Braves will look to clinch a spot in the 2021 World Series, and they’ll have an important player back on the active roster when they do it. Outfielder Jorge Soler has been cleared by MLB‘s Joint Committee and activated off the COVID-19 list, the team announced. Cristian Pache was removed from the roster to clear a spot.
Soler tested positive for COVID prior to Game 4 of the NLDS against the Brewers on Oct. 12. He was required to miss at least five days, then had to wait for MLB’s Joint Committee to sign off before being activated. Soler went 1 for 11 with a double in Games 1-3 of the NLDS before testing positive.
Unlike a baseball injury, players who test positive for COVID can be removed and re-added to the postseason roster at any time, with no roster repercussions. When a player is removed from the postseason roster due to a baseball injury, he must miss the following round, and he can only be activated between rounds.
Soler, 29, joined the Braves in a trade deadline deal with the Royals. He struggled with Kansas City (.192/.288/.370 in 94 games) but was very good with Atlanta, hitting .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs in 55 games. Soler had taken over as the club’s unconventional leadoff hitter late in the season as well.
The 22-year-old Pache appeared in only two games during his time on the active roster, serving as a defensive replacement in NLDS Game 4 and as a pinch-runner in NLCS Game 2. He did not take an at-bat. Pache ranks among Atlanta’s top prospects.
The Braves have a 3-1 series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven NLCS. One more win will clinch their first NL pennant since 1999. Here’s how you can watch Game 5.
