Braves' Jorge Soler: Hopeful for Friday return

Soler (hamstring) said Tuesday that he thinks he'll be ready to play in Friday's series opener with the Nationals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Soler has been sidelined since Aug. 14 due to a strained left hamstring, but Atlanta chose not to place him on the injured list, hoping for a swift recovery. He'll miss a fifth straight game Tuesday and likely at least two more contests after that, but Soler looks like he'll be ready to go over the weekend. Ramon Laureano has been serving as the primary replacement in right field in Soler's stead.