He is not a tank by any means, i think defense is his second lowest stat after nin and his health is medium. But in same manner like people have Tobi or their main on the front line, if you stack good gear on him and maybe a clone he should last few rounds. Unless your formation calls for him to be early on in move order, would not recommend it, expect him to last as long as Ino/Sakura or Iruka with no shield.