Braves: Mike Soroka can’t stay healthy, suffers another freak injury setback

Braves pitcher Mike Soroka has been battling back from an Achilles tear but his bad luck continued with a setback in his recovery.

Mike Soroka is no stranger to bad luck. The young Atlanta Braves pitcher first fell victim to that in 2020 when, fresh off being named an All-Star the previous season at just 21 years old, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon while running to cover first base.

The bad luck continued as he worked his way back to the diamond in 2021. Getting close to starting his rehab assignments, Soroka felt a pop while walking to the clubhouse and was forced to undergo a second surgery on his Achilles, something he is now trying to work his way back from.

Unfortunately, his misfortune has continued during this recovery stint as well.

While working in Florida to prepare for his first rehab assignment, Soroka was pitching when he was reportedly hit in the knee by a comebacker that will slow down the timeline for his return, namely pushing back his first rehab start to an undetermined date, per Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Braves: Mike Soroka suffers another freak injury during rehab

The good news is that Soroka only suffered a bruised knee from the comebacker and that the injury isn’t considered serious. However, it’s still highly upsetting that a player who has struggled so mightily to get back to the mound has something like this happen.

Still, there is hope that, assuming he can steer clear of any other freak accidents, that Soroka will return and be a key cog in the Braves rotation. Still just 24 years old (he turns 25 in August), he has already shown elite major league stuff on the bump.

Braves fans and baseball fans alike will be happy to see Soroka get past this latest injury, continue his recovery and ultimately get back on track to a promising career.