MLB Rumors: Mike Soroka’s future, Cardinals top prospect, Ohtani favorite

MLB Rumors: Will Braves give Michael Soroka another shot?

The Atlanta Braves lost to the Oakland Athletics on Monday, but the long-awaited debut of Michael Soroka marked a greater personal moment for the 25-year-old.

“Today was a big one,” he said, “a day like today and the people that believed in me. I always said I was going to be back here for the people that believed in me, not the ones that said I couldn’t.”

Soroka was the Braves 2020 Opening Day starter, but a series of lower-leg injuries cost him the better part of two seasons. After a successful stint in Gwinnett to start the year — and some very impressive spring training appearances — Soroka could be here to stay if Atlanta lets him.

“When I think about how long ago it really was, to be honest with you, we can even go back to 2019 because there was nobody in the stands in 2020 so it didn’t really feel like big league baseball that year,” Soroka said.

It had been 1,030 days between outings for Soroka, a time that felt like an eternity for the pitcher. A loss to the 10-win A’s will sting, but he should receive more opportunities given the status of the Braves rotation. Max Fried and Kyle Wright are out long-term. Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider have held up well in their absence, but could use some reinforcements. If Soroka pitches well, there’s little reason to send him back to Gwinnett for the time being.

“There’s been some people in my corner for a long, long time that have stuck by me,” Soroka said. “It’s a day for them, too. Those were the people that kept me going.”

Hopefully, one day will turn into an opportunity.