Maybe it was a product of the energy of the clubhouse. It’s possible a self-imposed time frame was to blame. Perhaps it was merely the naivete of a 20-year-old on his first DL stint.
Mike Soroka isn’t sure what went wrong shortly after he came off the disabled list the first time, on June 13, and what ultimately led to the recurring shoulder soreness that now has him strapped to the 60-day DL. But the right-hander is adamant not to repeat it this time around.
“I think that was one of the things I may have rushed a little bit myself the first time around,” Soroka said before Wednesday’s game. “I realized — I wanted to get out there, and I still do — but I realized that this could be pretty important for the future, and make sure that we know (the soreness is) out of there before anything starts to happen as far as getting in games and stuff like that.”
Soroka speaks with some hesitation about his first DL stint. Everything, he insists, was done properly. When he began rehabbing, everything felt on schedule. It wasn't just Soroka's first time with a shoulder injury; it was his first experience on the DL ever. It's hard for him to peg exactly what went wrong.
And yet, despite throwing 6-1/3 scoreless innings in his first start back, Soroka found himself back on the DL just 10 days after his return.
“Something still isn’t right,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said June 22, after the team placed him on the DL again. “He’s got (something) in there. We’ve got to shut him down for a while and try to get him right.”
That’s an ominous outlook for any pitcher, one that’s only amplified by Soroka’s importance to the team both in the present and future. It would be hard to turn a blind eye to the ruthless formula of young, hard-throwing pitchers with recurring shoulder soreness. The 20-year-old understands he has his entire career in front of him, and knows it’s prudent to be cautious.
But while he looks back hazily on what went wrong the first time, Soroka speaks with no trepidation about one thing.
“Yes, 100 percent, I have no doubt that I’ll be back, for sure before the end of the year.”
Now, just over three weeks after he was placed on the DL for the second time, and two weeks after being moved to the 60-day DL, the progression toward that return remains incremental. He’s not yet throwing yet, and even when he does, the road to recovery is long; general manager Alex Anthopoulos recently compared the entire process with another spring training.
Soroka holds back on offering a timetable, as he should. He keeps his focus on a smaller scale.
“Just working out everyday,” Soroka said, when asked how far along his recovery is. “Just trying to make sure we stick with the program. Just make sure that every day is used to get better.”
Of course, that itch to return will continue to fester for the rookie, especially as the Braves fight doggedly for the division lead. But now, removed from a painful learning experience, Soroka sees the bigger picture.
“Not only for my career, but for the Braves as well, the goal is to be here for a long time, and not just throw a few innings this year,” Soroka said. “It’s tough when the team’s really doing so well. You want to be out there on the field, you want to be apart of it. At the same time, you’ve gotta realize that, hopefully you’ve got a long career ahead of myself.”
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