Michael Soroka has slowly been working his way back to being major-league ready. The Braves have proceeded with things cautiously, as they should, giving him plenty of extra rest and oftentimes limiting his pitch count.
But last night, Soroka looked like a guy that belonged in the majors. He tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. Perhaps more encouragingly, he threw 96 pitches. It was his best outing this season, and things have been trending in this direction. Over Soroka’s last 13.2 innings pitched, he’s allowed just two earned runs.
The Maple Maddux is ready, and it’s no longer a matter of if he will return to the majors; it’s when, which is a question that could be answered soon, according to Mark Bowman.
“The Braves haven’t said when Soroka might be added to Atlanta’s rotation,” Bowman states. “But he’s now in play if needed.”
Now, most Braves fans might look at the rotation without Max Fried and Kyle Wright, shouting, “He’s needed right now!”
The reality is that’s far from the truth. Max Fried has missed half of the season, and Kyle Wright hasn’t been right even in the games that he has pitched. Despite that, the Braves have the second-best rotation ERA of any team in baseball, thanks to Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Charlie Morton.
On top of that, Jared Shuster has also looked much more comfortable in his second stint with the Braves this season, giving the team a legitimate fourth starter. I do agree going with a bullpen game every fifth day isn’t sustainable, but if the Braves wanted to for a few more weeks, they certainly would be just fine.
Regardless, Soroka’s return to Atlanta is imminent. It could come next week or the week after that, but I would be shocked if we don’t see him by the end of June.
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