The Braves are reinserting MLB’s youngest pitcher back into their rotation Wednesday.
Mike Soroka, the team’s No. 1 pitching prospect, will return from the disabled list to face the Mets. He’s been sidelined since May 17 with a muscle strain near his pitching shoulder.
It was the righty’s first career DL stint, and it came after three major-league starts.
Soroka felt soreness after his outing against the Marlins on May 12. He informed the team and was placed on the DL as a precautionary measure.
“It was tough,” he said. “First and foremost, I’m happy to be back and happy they’re giving me the ball. … It was a different experience, but lots of guys helped me through that. Lots of guys have spent more time on the DL than I have. They calmed me down about the whole thing, and I knew this day would come again soon.”
The 20-year-old was shut down for the first four days since hitting the DL. He returned to game action June 1 with Triple-A Gwinnett.
“Right after that first start I said that felt awesome, it felt great,” Soroka said. “Just right out of the gate, stuff was there, crispness was there.”
Soroka allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out 10 and walking just one across two rehab starts (10 innings). He recorded seven strikeouts in his second outing, when he increased his pitch count from 45 in his first start to 73 in his next.
The team leaned toward giving Soroka a third rehab outing, but Julio Teheran was placed on the DL with a right-thumb contusion, opening a spot in the rotation.
Manager Brian Snitker considered Max Fried and Kolby Allard, but elected to pitch Soroka. The Canadian righty can throw 85-90 pitches, Snitker said Tuesday.
Soroka’s first start came May 1 in New York against the Mets. He went six innings, allowing one run while striking out five.
Wednesday marks his first time facing an opponent for the second time.
“I’ve got to go back to the video and figure out how I got them out last time, so hopefully I’ll do it again tomorrow,” he said. “Make a plan with (pitching coach) Chuck (Hernandez) and be able to play my game. Look at it like a regular start instead of learning each other. They’re going to have their (reports) on me as well. It becomes much more competitive that way and it’s fun.”
