BRAVES YOUTH MOVEMENT
If Soroka gets call, Atlanta would have majors’ three youngest players
ATLANTA — The Braves called up hitting phenom Ronald Acuna last week, and their pitching phenom could be up next. But for now, it looks like Mike Soroka likely will wait at least a little longer to make his debut.
Top pitching prospect Soroka was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett, giving the Braves a fallback option in case Julio Teheran or Anibal Sanchez aren’t ready to pitch in the coming week.
The move bought time for the Braves to evaluate Teheran and Sanchez after they threw Sunday bullpen sessions and after Sanchez tested his right hamstring again with running drills for the second consecutive day Sunday.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said both pitchers felt good after Sunday’s work on the side as the Braves defeated the Phillies, 10-1. Both remain on schedule, with Teheran set to pitch on regular rest Wednesday against the Mets and Sanchez penciled in to come off the disabled list and start Saturday against the Giants.
Teheran left his start Friday after three innings with tightness in his upper right trapezius behind his shoulder.
“He felt good (Sunday),” Snitker said. “He’s on track. I talked to him after he threw.”
Sanchez has been on the 10-day disabled list since straining his hamstring April 18. Sanchez will face Braves batters in simulated-game conditions today in New York as a final test before determining if he’s ready.
“Anibal was good today,” Snitker said. “We’re going to do the sim game on Tuesday in New York. He’s pushing to be ready for Saturday right now, unless something happens. They both are feeling real good.”
If the Braves bring up Soroka, they would have the three youngest players in the major leagues on their 25-man roster: The 20-year-old Canadian right-hander is four months older than Acuna and seven months younger than Ozzie Albies.
Acuna is 8-for-19 (.421) with four doubles, a home run, three walks and a .500 OBP in his first five games including two doubles and two walks in Sunday’s 10-1 win at Philadelphia.
Albies has been one of baseball’s top performers in his first full season, going 2-for-4 with a first-inning leadoff homer, a two-run double and a walk Sunday to give him nine homers and a majors-leading 22 extra-base hits, one shy of the major league before-May record.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a recent interview that Soroka was “very, very close” to being ready for the majors.
Rated 27th in Baseball America’s preseason Top 100 prospects, Soroka is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA in four starts in Triple-A, with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 22 2/3 innings.
He made a great impression on teammates and opposing hitters during major league spring training, pitching in three Grapefruit League games and allowing two hits and one run with no walks and five strikeouts in five innings before being sent to minor league camp to get starts.
A first-round draft pick out of high school in 2015, Soroka is 22-19 with a 3.44 ERA in 65 games (63 starts), including 11-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 26 starts last season at Double-A Mississippi. He had 125 strikeouts and 34 walks in 153 2/3 innings at Mississippi in his first season above Single-A ball.