Braves former All-Star pitcher to make first start in nearly three years

Michael Soroka hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since Aug. 2020, but an almost three-year wait to return looks set to be over Monday with a series of transactions suggesting he’ll be called up to start Monday against the Oakland Athletics.

The Braves scratched Soroka from his start at Triple-A Sunday, and as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman draws attention to, the Braves' decision to option Dylan Dodd and replace him with Dereck Rodriguez adds further weight to the idea that Soroka will be the one called upon. And if any further evidence was needed, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos was on SiriusXM radio today and said Soroka is the “next guy up the next time we need a starter,” before adding that the next time is “tomorrow.”

Soroka, the 28th pick back in 2015, was a quality young starter for the Braves before injuries derailed things. Between 2018-20, he made 37 starts of 2.86 ERA ball, the bulk of which came during the 2019 season when he finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting.

Since the 2020 season, it’s been a wretched run for Soroka. A ruptured Achilles tendon set him up for a year-long recovery, and just as he was nearing a return to action that Achilles blew out again and left Soroka facing another lengthy rehab process. After recovering from that he saw some time at Triple-A towards the back end of the 2022 season but never made it to the big leagues, as he was shut down with shoulder fatigue. He entered spring training competing for a spot in Atlanta’s rotation but a hamstring strain put him behind and he was optioned to the minor leagues to start the season.

He’s made eight starts at Triple-A this season, working to a 4.33 ERA and averaging about 4 1/3 innings per start. It’ll certainly be a much-anticipated return to a big league mound for Soroka when he does pitch tomorrow.