Jorge Soler Cleared from COVID List, Available for Braves in Game 5 vs. Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves already have a 3-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series and will have some additional firepower for Thursday's Game 5.

The Braves announced outfielder Jorge Soler was cleared to return from the COVID-19 list and will be available for Game 5. He is taking Cristian Pache's spot on the active roster.

Soler last played in Game 3 of the division series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 11.

Atlanta acquired Soler from the Kansas City Royals via trade in July, and he helped make up for the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL.

The slugger appeared in 55 games for the National League East champions and slashed .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs and 33 RBI. It was a drastic improvement from his 2021 numbers in Kansas City when he slashed .192/.288/.370 with 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 94 games.

He also hit just .228 with eight home runs during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Still, Soler isn't far removed from when he led the entire league with 48 home runs in 2019 and has resembled that version of himself for the Braves this season as they played well down the stretch and won their division despite a slow start.

To Atlanta's credit, its offense has played well without Soler in the NLCS to this point.

It scored a combined 19 runs in the last three games alone and has full control of the series with the opportunity to make the Fall Classic for the first time since the 1999 season.

Adding a power bat like Soler's to the lineup will only increase the chances the Braves eliminate the Dodgers.