Braves option Mike Soroka to Triple-A Gwinnett following Spring Training debut

The stat line wasn’t overly impressive. He allowed two runs with a strikeout over 1.1 innings, but the process is more important than the results for a guy like Mike Soroka. He threw 36 pitches, and Chase talked about the outing in more detail:

The two runs he allowed were not really his fault. The first one was unearned after Ehire Adrianza botched a ball at second base to lead off the opening inning. The second one came as a result of a quality hit-and-run by the Tigers, who placed a weakly hit ground ball through the right side. Had the runner not been going, it likely would have been a double play.

Soroka finishing his outing healthy is already a win, but I thought he looked great for a pitcher that has barely thrown in three years. His velocity touched 96, and he had this nice strikeout with a slider. He also had a fantastic defensive play, which I’m sure had the stomachs of everybody in Braves Country turning.

Mike Soroka was always going to begin the year in Triple-A to build up his arm. He hasn’t toed the rubber of a major league mound in years during a regular season; the Canadian still needs some seasoning. But for his first outing, all signs point to him contributing in Atlanta this season.