The brave announced this afternoon this right Mike Soroka Activated from infected list for 60 days. He was selected for Triple-A Gwinnett. To open a place on the 40-man roster, Atlanta moved the faithful Darren O’Day From 15 days to 60 days IL.
Soroka hasn’t thrown a major league pitch since August 2020. He ruptured his right Achilles tendon while trying to go down a hill to cover first base, a devastating injury that began many years of rehab. His efforts to come back were halted last season in June when Soroka suffered another Achilles tear while walking to the club’s headquarters. He underwent a second surgery and was trying to come back. He suffered an unrelated setback in July when he removed his knee while practicing live strikes, leading to another shutdown.
Six weeks later, Soroka is back on the professional stack. He began his rehab stint with High-A Rome on August 16, and has since appeared twice with Gwinnett. He made 4 2/3 runs and shot 75 shots during his descent last Saturday. This would technically be the start of his final rehab now that he’s back on the 40-man roster, but the club will give him more time with the Stripers to find his level. With five weeks left in the regular season, it seems likely that we’ll see Soroka again on Trust Park Hill this month. How well can stadiums determine if a club carries him on the post-season roster.
Despite missing two seasons, Soroka recently turned 25 years old. Before hock tears, he looked like one of the best young arms in the sport. The former No. 1 hit a 2.68 ERA with a very solid FC average of 51.2% over 174 2/3 innings in 2019, a 21-year-old season. He and the team agreed to a $2.8 million stipend to avoid arbitration during spring training. It will be in line for a similar amount this winter and is manageable until 2024.
O’Day has been out since his All-Star break after straining his left leg. The veteran submarine signed a minor league deal during the holiday season, and made the opening day roster. O’Day has been an excellent late-game dump, albeit not unorthodox for most of the past decade. However, the 2022 season was much more walkable even before the injury. By 21 2/3 innings, the 39-year-old has a 4.15 ERA with a strong strike rate of 27.7% but a high walk rate of 10.6%.
Today’s IL move shouldn’t have much of an impact on O’Day, who is still likely to be a factor in manager Brian Snitker’s bullpen mix late in the season. The 60-day minimum goes back to its original date on July 12, so he will be eligible to return to the big league club next weekend. O’Day was on a rehab assignment with Gwinnett, working seven rounds on several appearances.
Soroka and Odi aren’t the only two injured players planning to return from a long-term absence this month. Ozzy Albis He’s been out since he fractured his left foot on June 13, but he’s close to making a comeback. Albies kicked off Gwinnett’s rehab stint tonight, taking four at bat while serving as the designated hitter. It was his first game since the injury, and he opens the 20-day window reserved for players for rehabilitation periods. Barring a relapse, he should be back in Atlanta by mid-September.
Since the fall of the Albies, the Braves have used a revolving door on the second base. Orlando ArchiaAnd the Phil Jocelyn And the Ayer Adrianza All of them got some work done, but the task finally fell to the novice von Grissom. Grissom has likely been off .312/.354/.468 through his first 21 MLB games. Those numbers were backed by an in-play 344 hits average, but the 21-year-old has actually hit three home runs and has only landed 13 hits (15.9% of his board appearances).
How will the brave divide playtime when everyone stays healthy. This is an enviable problem, of course, with the presence of Matt OlsonBiz Dansby Swanson And the Austin Riley Arguably the best in baseball. If the Braves want to keep Grissom’s bat in the lineup, the cleanest path to playing time could be in the designated hitter, although that may present its own complications.
The Braves rotated the hot-hit reserve catcher William Contreras Through the DH spot, and they sometimes used those bats to get it Ronald Acuña Jr. from his feet. Acuña, who ruptured the ACL in his right knee last July, told reporters last night that the surgically repaired joint feels “terrible” (via Gabe Burns from The Atlanta Journal). Acuña remained in the squad and confirmed he will play through the pain for the rest of the season, but the Braves may want to continue to lighten their workload on defense before starting play after the season is over.