Cubs' Soler ejected in Daytona loss

Cubs No. 3 prospect Jorge Soler was ejected from Class A Advanced Daytona's 14-9 loss to Clearwater on Wednesday night after reportedly menacing the Threshers' dugout following an incident in the seventh inning.

According to Daytona's broadcast team, Clearwater second baseman Carlos Alonso came down on Soler after the 21-year-old right fielder slid into second base trying to break up a double play.

Soler and Alonso apparently exchanged words before being separated and returning to their respective dugouts. Soler then re-emerged from the Cubs dugout with a bat, made his way toward the visitors' dugout and again traded words with members of the Threshers.

Soler was restrained by a teammate and at least one member of the Daytona coaching staff before he was ejected by plate umpire Sean Ryan. Contrary to reports circulating on social media, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound native of Cuba did not swing the bat at anyone.

"I think that he was frustrated by some things and there was some emotional things he was fighting with. Why he did that, I don't know. I think he was frustrated by what happened," Daytona manager Dave Keller told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. "When he slid into second base, [Alonso] ended up laying on top of him. He was laying on him, so [Soler] pushed with his arm to get him off him and I think the second baseman interpreted that the wrong way, like he wanted to fight or something.

"There were two separate incidents and there was really no fight. But because nobody was around him when he was running across the field with a bat ... that makes things a little bit crazy."

Hitting coach Mariano Duncan brought Soler back to the Daytona clubhouse following the ejection.

Describing the events as "kind of like a nightmare," Keller told the newspaper he did not know if Soler would face discipline from the Florida State League or the Cubs. The organization's front office was gathering information and had no comment, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Reached by MiLB.com, Threshers manager Chris Truby declined comment on the incident.

In 2006, then-Rays prospect Delmon Young was suspended 50 games by the International League after tossing a bat that struck an umpire following his ejection for arguing balls and strikes. It was the longest suspension in league history.

Two years later, Peoria Chiefs pitcher Julio Castillo received a 60-game suspension from the Midwest League for throwing a ball that struck a Dayton Dragons fan in the head following a bench-clearing brawl. Castillo later was convicted of felonious assault causing serious physical injury and sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation.

Soler's ejection followed a separate incident in the top of the first in which Clearwater center fielder Kyrell Hudson was tossed by first base umpire Alex Tosi.

Soler, MLB.com's No. 42 overall prospect, doubled, walked and scored a run and is hitting .435 through six games in his first season in the Florida State League.

Daytona took a 9-7 lead into the ninth, but the Threshers tied it on Logan Moore's two-run triple. Jose Mojica's two-run double broke the deadlock in the 11th and Maikel Franco's two-run double capped the five-run outburst.