Braves' 2021 duo endures long journey to reacquaint themselves with club

MILWAUKEE -- Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson had plenty of time to reminisce about 2021, but they really didn’t. Their journey to reunite with the Braves began with a six-hour delay, during which they twice ate at a chicken restaurant within the San Francisco International Airport.

Once they finally boarded their flight, Soler made it clear he wasn’t happy about Jackson having the aisle seat. With no flights to Milwaukee, they landed at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport a little before 10 p.m. CT, got a rideshare and began their 90-minute ride to the Braves’ downtown Milwaukee hotel.

“I’ve never spent so much time with him,” a smiling Soler said, when asked if he was sick of Jackson by the end of the day.

There were plenty of smiles as Soler and Jackson reacquainted themselves with the Braves before Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Brewers at American Family Field. Atlanta reacquired these two 2021 World Series heroes from the Giants late Monday night.

Soler was back atop the Atlanta lineup and reacclimating himself to the right field position. This marked the first time he played in the outfield this year. Jackson enjoyed the chance to reunite with A.J. Minter and Jesse Chavez in the Braves’ bullpen.

“This is home for me,” said Jackson, who was a Braves reliever from 2017-21. “[These are] some of my best friends and a lot of new guys.”

Something felt right about seeing these two players back in Atlanta’s clubhouse. Soler’s previous stint with the Braves lasted just three months. But that was enough time for him to become one of the franchise’s postseason legends. He laughed when asked about how many times he has seen the video of him hitting a ball out of Houston’s Minute Maid Park in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

“I did think that one day I would be back, but not as soon as I’m back,” Soler said through an interpreter.

This stay will be a much longer one for Soler, who was essentially a rental when he was acquired from the Royals at the 2021 Trade Deadline. The Braves re-signed Eddie Rosario and allowed Soler to sign elsewhere after both outfielders starred in the ‘21 postseason.

Oddly, Rosario might be the odd man out once Michael Harris II returns from the injured list within the next few weeks.

“[Soler] is a monster, he has always been,” Jackson said. “He’s an on-base machine. They had him in the leadoff spot in San Francisco and he was absolutely dominating. I’m excited to see him back in Atlanta’s park. San Francisco you know can beat a lot of hitters down. It’s a graveyard out there. It can be super windy and cold. It’s just a tough place to play day in and day out.”

Even with the challenging elements, Soler hit .240 with 12 homers and a .749 OPS for the Giants. He was hitting .192 with 13 homers and a .658 OPS when the Braves acquired him three years ago. But all anyone remembers is that he hit 14 homers and posted a .882 OPS over the regular season’s final two months and then hit three homers in that year’s World Series.

“I’m grateful they gave me the opportunity in ‘21,” Soler said. “Obviously, things weren’t going well for me in Kansas City and it felt like they brought me on this team and gave me another chance at baseball.”

Soler went 0-for-3, but he drew a key walk ahead of Austin Riley’s game-winning two-out, two-run single in Wednesday’s seventh. The fact he hasn’t played the outfield will lead the Braves to monitor his workload and allow him to condition his legs. He’ll get some days off and he’ll regularly play fewer than nine innings over the next couple weeks.

But enough about the playing plans. What did Jackson and Soler do during the ride to Milwaukee?

“I think he FaceTimed the whole time and I had my AirPods in,” Jackson said.