Nationals Announce Starting Pitcher for Wednesday’s Showdown with Guardians

Michael Soroka will make his second start of the season for the Washington Nationals on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians.

Manager Davey Martinez made the announcement after Tuesday’s doubleheader with Cleveland. Game time is set for 12:05 p.m. eastern.

The Nationals did not activate him after Tuesday’s second game. The corresponding move will be made on Wednesday.

The corresponding move will not be Brad Lord. Martinez told reporters, including the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden, that Lord — who has been in the rotation since Soroka ended up on the injured list — would move back to the bullpen.

Soroka made one start for Washington before he went on the 15-day IL with a right arm biceps strain on April 4. He went on a rehab assignment to Double-A Harrisburg on April 22 and then moved to Triple-A Rochester on May 2.

In three rehab starts he went 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 12 innings.

Soroka started his only regular season game on March 31 against the Toronto Blue Jays, as he pitched five innings, giving up five hits, four earned runs and one walk. He also struck out three as he took the loss. He is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA.

How Soroka Ended up in Washington

Washington signed the former All-Star this offseason on a one-year, $9 million contract, with the stipulation that he would start for the Nationals.

He was coming off a 2024 with the Chicago White Sox in which he was a part-time starter and was more effective as a reliever (2.75 ERA) than as a starter. He also went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA in 25 games, giving him the third-worst season with no pitching victories since 1900.

The 27-year-old right-hander is trying to rebuild his career. In 2020 with Atlanta he tore his Achilles’ tendon, ending his season. In 2021, he re-tore the Achilles while walking back to the dugout, ending that season and his 2022 season.

He returned to Atlanta’s rotation in 2023, but developed elbow inflammation and didn’t pitch for them again.

Before the injury, he was a rising star. That was back in 2019. That season, he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA and made the National League All-Star Game, along with being named all-MLB second team. He was sixth in NL Cy Young voting and second in NL Rookie of the Year voting.