WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals have placed right-handed pitcher Michael Soroka on the 15-day injured list due to a biceps strain in his pitching arm. This development follows an incident during his inaugural start for the Nationals, where he sustained the injury.
Soroka, 27, experienced discomfort after delivering a slider in the sixth inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. He described the sensation in his arm as “a feeling that shouldn’t be there.” In that outing, Soroka gave up four runs, resulting in a loss for the Nationals, who succumbed to a 5-2 defeat and carried a 1-5 record heading into Friday night’s matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Soroka’s career has been plagued by a sequence of unfortunate health complications. Notably, he was ranked second in the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year voting, losing to New York Mets’ Pete Alonso. He also finished sixth in the 2019 NL Cy Young Award voting during his tenure with the Atlanta Braves. His challenges began with a torn right Achilles tendon in 2020, followed by a subsequent injury to the same tendon while entering Atlanta’s stadium. These setbacks led to Soroka missing the entire regular seasons of both 2021 and 2022.
Last year, while with the Chicago White Sox, Soroka struggled, posting a 0-10 record with a 4.74 ERA across 79 2/3 innings over 25 games, including nine starts. Subsequently, he inked a one-year $9 million deal with Washington.
In response to Soroka’s placement on the injured list, the Nationals called up right-handed pitcher Jackson Rutledge from their Triple-A affiliate in Rochester. Rutledge, a first-round draft pick in 2019, began this season in Rochester’s bullpen. He has made three appearances for the Nationals in the 2024 season, which includes one start.