New Chicago White Sox Pitcher Mike Soroka Working His Way Back From Forearm Injury
Newly-acquired Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Mike Soroka told The Chicago Tribune that he has resumed throwing and feels great, LaMond Pope reported Tuesday.
Soroka spent the past six seasons with the Atlanta Braves, who traded the right-hander to Chicago last week. Soroka was one of four players sent to the White Sox in exchange for reliever Aaron Bummer.
Despite making his MLB debut in 2018, Soroka has only tossed 246.1 innings in his big league career.
Injuries have largely derailed Soroka's last few campaigns, as he made just three starts in 2020, none in 2021 or 2022 and six in 2023.
Soroka was emerging as an elite young pitcher before he fell victim to the injury bug. He was an All-Star in 2019, finishing sixth in NL Cy Young voting and second in NL Rookie of the Year after going 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA and 1.111 WHIP.
A few weeks after serving as the Braves' 2020 Opening Day starter, the then-22-year-old tore his Achilles tendon. To that point in his career, Soroka was 15-6 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.164 WHIP and 6.3 WAR in 37 starts.
Soroka suffered a setback during his recovery process in 2021, which led to a second surgery on his Achilles. That summer, he completely re-tore his Achilles.
An elbow injury cut Soroka's rehab short in 2022, and he opened 2023 with a hamstring injury. When he did eventually return to the majors this May, Soroka was optioned twice before getting shut down for the season in September due to right forearm inflammation.
While the injury did not ultimately require surgery, it further jeopardized his spot on the Braves' roster moving forward when added to his 6.40 ERA and 1.485 WHIP in 2023. Soroka became a trade chip for Atlanta, as the team might have had to release him if they couldn't find a suitor for his services.
Soroka wound up in Chicago, providing him a shot at a fresh – hopefully healthy – start.
New White Sox GM Chris Getz told reporters Friday that he expected Soroka to compete with Jared Shuster for a spot in Chicago's rotation in 2024. The 26-year-old for Calgary, Canada, is due to be a free agent next offseason.
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