Braves Sign Former Top Pitching Prospect After Devastating Injuries

It's been a tough road for the former top prospect, but the Atlanta Braves aren't giving up yet on hard-luck young pitcher Mike Soroka. They've signed him to a 1-year, $2.8M dollar deal. 

The 25-year-old right-hander has pitched in just three games since 2019, mostly due to two devastating torn Achilles tendon injuries. 

But as a sign that the Braves haven't given up on him, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas last week that Soroka will be competing for the fifth-starter's spot in 2023, along with others. 

Soroka finally seemed to have recovered from the twice-torn Achilles this season, and was making his way back to the majors, with a shot at a few innings before the season ended. Then more bad luck struck.

#Braves' Mike Soroka has inflammation in his pitching elbow, so #Braves will shut him down rest of the season. MRI showed no structural damage. Brian Snitker said it's not unexpected for a guy who missed as much time as Soroka, who's attempting comeback from twice-torn Achilles.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 22, 2022

Elbow inflammation was the culprit this time, shutting Soroka down in September for the balance of the year. 

He's a former 1st-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, and showed his incredible potential when he arrived in the majors in 2019, making the All-Star team in his rookie season with a 13-4 record, a 2.68 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 142:42 K/BB ratio. He was also the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting, and finished 6th in Cy Young balloting.  

Photo: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports