The Atlanta Braves announced this on Monday a succession of grid movementsand the most notable of which is right-hander Mike Soroka optioned to return to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The 25-year-old Soroka recently returned to the major league rotation for the first time in nearly three years, which was the result of multiple surgeries on his Achilles tendon. After two starts for Atlanta this season, Soroka has an 8.38 ERA with five strikeouts and six unintentional walks in 9 2/3 innings.
Not so long ago, Soroka seemed to be on the cusp of stardom. In 37 career starts prior to his career-changing injuries, he compiled a 2.86 ERA (159 ERA+) and a 3.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In fact, Soroka finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2019, as well as sixth in the Cy Young Award balloting – all while making the All-Star Game.
Given his long absence from the majors, early struggles are unsurprising, and the Braves no doubt hope he can reestablish himself as a regular presence in the rotation.
Check the opt-in box to confirm that you want to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
The Braves were able to hand over the vacant spot in their rotation to rookie AJ Smith-Shawver. The right-hander threw 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings against the Diamondbacks in his MLB debut on Sunday.
The Braves go into Monday’s day off with a 35-24 record, a National League-best plus-63 run difference and in first place in the NL East.