The Chicago Cubs will be without Jorge Soler until at least June 18.

Soler suffered a left ankle injury and was placed on the 15 day DL on June 2^nd.  Soler is currently in a walking boot but was throwing pregame the past couple of days.  In his absence, Kris Bryant got his first start in left field, and Junior Lake has become an everyday player.

Despite sixty-seven strikeouts so far this season, Jorge Soler had a good month of May.  Soler batted .288 with 2HRs and eight doubles.

Junior Lake has picked up the slack for the hurt Soler.  In his last seven games, Lake has hit .250 with a HR, 4RBIs and two doubles.  Lake is a patience hitter who can really drive the ball.  His production is huge for staying up in the majors as an option for Madden as a pinch hitter once Soler returns.

Chris Denorfia was also activated from the disabled list on June 7th. The 34-year-old Denorfia is hitting .429 (9-for-21) with the Cubs this season but has been limited to 12 games due to a pair of stints on the disabled list for a left hamstring strain. Denorfia opened the season on the D.L. and was activated on April 17 only to return on May 5. He played two rehab games with Double-A Tennessee as part of his return this time, going 2-for-9 with two doubles and two RBI. With the Cubs this season, Denorfia has made three starts in left field and one start in right field, and has gone 4-for-6 as a pinch-hitter.

How much will the loss of Solier hurt the Cubs? Will it even hurt the Cubs at all? Who will step up to the plate and admirably fill in for Solier while he is on the DL? But, most importantly, will it affect their place in the standings? Cub’s fans we invite your comments below, and we will share them on our site.