Michael Soroka’s return to the mound didn’t go as well as the Atlanta Braves hoped. In his first two starts since recovering from two Achilles tears, Soroka has visibly struggled and posted an 8.38 ERA while allowing three homers.
The Braves have now decided to send Soroka to their Triple-A affiliate Gwinnett Stripers, hoping he might get his groove back by facing lesser competition. The organization announced the news on Monday alongside several other roster moves.
Soroka entered the league with a bang, having an astonishing rookie season in 2019 that saw him earn an All-Star spot and make an All-MLB Second Team. He also finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Soroka entered 2020 as the Braves’ Opening Day starter, being the youngest pitcher in the team’s modern history to receive the honor. Unfortunately, he only made three starts before suffering a season-ending Achilles tendon.
What followed was a long road to recovery that saw Soroka undergo two surgeries, re-tearing his Achilles, and suffer a number of setbacks before being cleared for baseball activities at the start of the 2023 campaign.
As they wait for Soroka to find his rhythm, the Braves will most likely turn to rookie AJ Smith-Shawver to fill out their rotation.
