The Braves are coming off an embarrassing showing in Pittsburgh, losing to a terrible Pirates team with one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball that shut down Atlanta’s lineup. But we move on to the Nationals, and an old Braves friend’s return to Atlanta.

Michael Soroka will make his return home for the first time since he was traded to the White Sox ahead of the 2024 campaign. Soroka will be squaring off with Spencer Schwellnebach on Tuesday as the Braves look to get back on track, but the Nationals present a formidable opponent despite being 17-24.

Once upon a time, Soroka was going to be the next great Braves starter, drawing the moniker the Maple Maddux because at 21 years old, he finished sixth in the Cy Young voting and second in the Rookie of the Year voting.

But 2020 was the beginning of a long and winding road. He tore his Achilles after just three starts in the COVID-shortened, and he’d miss all of that season, 2021, and 2022 due to another Achilles injury.

Soroka finally made his return to the mound in 2023, but he struggled. He only made seven appearances and pitched to the tune of a 6.40 ERA, and to make matters worse, he was shut down with forearm inflammation.

Eventually, the Braves elected to ship him off because he was out of options ahead of the 2024 season. He struggled in Chicago too, and the White Sox eventually elected to move him to the bullpen.

The Nationals then signed the former Braves fan favorite in December, but the results haven’t been much better. Soroka owns a 7.20 ERA across two starts spanning 10.0 innings; however, his 3.42 FIP is much more encouraging.

Braves fans everywhere hope Michael Soroka finds success, but nobody wants to see it happen against the good guys in Atlanta.

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