When Jorge Soler broke the team’s iPad in the dugout, the Braves were really confused.
There aren’t many games that can be more humbling than baseball. When a player is slumping, it can often seem like that slump will last forever. And for Braves outfielder Jorge Soler, the frustrations reached a boiling point on Monday.
But man, Soler didn’t have to take it all out on the team’s MLB-issued iPad like that.
After Soler popped out in the first inning on a hanging sinker, the Braves slugger re-watched the at-bat on that iPad. He couldn’t believe he missed that pitch. So, out of disgust with himself, he decided to spike the iPad and stomp on it a bit in the dugout.
Braves teammates Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II and Jarred Kelenic couldn’t believe the damage that Soler inflicted on the tablet. Whatever happened to the smashing a Gatorade cooler or throwing bats in a clubhouse hallway? Those are definitely more cost-effective tantrums than what Soler settled on.
He had reason to be upset, though. After a hot start in his second stint with the Braves, Soler has been hitting .118 with a .433 OPS in the 18 games since returning from a hamstring injury. He was hitting .286 with a 1.031 OPS and four home runs with Atlanta before that injury.
The Braves lost, 1-0, on Monday to drop a game behind the Mets for the NL’s final playoff spot.
