Braves starter Mike Soroka threw a live batting practice Sunday, a significant step in his rehab from shoulder discomfort that’s sidelined him this spring.
Soroka threw roughly 25 pitches in the session, making it through pain free. It’s the start of a new progression for the right-hander, who’s essentially beginning his spring training anew.
“It felt good,” he said. “It felt like it’s been long overdue. It was nice to be back out there and face some hitters and compete again. Even if there’s a cage around it, it’s a lot of fun to let it rip.”
The 20-year old hoped to pitch in games toward the end of spring training, but there’s still no timetable for his recovery. Sunday was a positive step, and if the trajectory continues, Soroka could theoretically be ready before the end of April.
“I haven’t seen a program yet,” he said. “We’re seeing how I feel now, and I feel good, so we’ll move it accordingly from there.”
Soroka entered camp the favorite for the lone fifth-starter spot, but his bid was immediately undone by recurring shoulder soreness that initially popped up during offseason workouts in January. Soroka was already limited to five starts last season due to shoulder inflammation (a separate issue).
With his injuries seemingly behind him, Soroka is just trying to build his way back up to handle a multi-inning workload. Unlike some of the Braves’ treasured prospects, Soroka hasn’t been viewed as a candidate to come out of the bullpen. He’s strictly a starter at this juncture.
“(My arm) feels really good,” Soroka said. “A lot of that is credit to our medical staff, they made sure we took the right steps necessary to get to this point. My arm has always been quick to get back in shape. It felt good and now it’s just about progressing day by day from there.”
As with Mike Foltynewicz, who’s shelved with elbow soreness, the Braves will be patient with Soroka. They view him as a needed piece through the summer and would rather he miss time now than deal with any lingering issues.
“It’s the start of his progression … but I like where (Soroka) is at,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Everything has to go right in the progressions, throw an inning or two, that’s got to be good too. If something comes back then you almost have to start over. So we’re just taking a day at a time, a step at a time.”
