Few words are more discouraging in baseball than pitchers and arm soreness. The Braves cautiously chose to shut Mike Soroka down last season after just five starts in the majors because of shoulder discomfort.
While early reports suggested there are “no restrictions” for the Braves rookie in spring training, Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweeted today that Soroka aggravated his shoulder while lifting weights a month ago.
Soroka’s shoulder is bothering him again. He felt some discomfort while lifting weights a month ago, but he was able to complete bullpens in pain-free fashion until this week. He’ll be restricted from throwing for another 4-5 days.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 22, 2019
The positive news is that Soroka was able to throw pain-free bullpen sessions until this week. He is in line to compete for the 5th and final rotation spot to start the season. The Athletic’s David O’Brien added that the Braves do not believe the injury is serious, but they will continue to take extreme caution in their approach.
Snitker emphasized they don’t think it’s anything serious with #Braves’ Soroka and they’re erring on side of caution again, making sure it’s nothing that lingers into the season. But obviously this isn’t ideal for guy who missed so much of rookie season with shoulder inflammation
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 22, 2019
Last year, they chose to let him rest, and he never returned the entire season. Hopefully, this is nothing but a blip on the radar, and Soroka can contribute to the major league squad – either as a starter or reliever – this season.