The Braves have dealt with some minor injuries to their starting rotation early on in Spring Training. Kyle Wright has been rehabbing from a shoulder issue this offseason, receiving a cortisone shot a few months ago. He says he’s feeling better than ever, and we will finally get to see what that looks like in a live game today against the Rays as he makes his first appearance of the Spring.
Wright likely won’t be ready for at least the first week of the regular season, and the Braves have no need to rush him. Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd have been the stars of Spring Training, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that battle continued into the regular season. The Braves could give each of them a start or two to see who can handle the bright lights the best while letting Wright stretch out at his own pace.
Wright is not the only Brave making his highly anticipated Spring debut this week, though. Following an outing in a sim-game over the weekend, Mike Soroka’s hamstring is good to go, and he’ll toe the rubber on Wednesday against the Tigers.
That’s a moment all of Braves country is eager to see. Soroka hasn’t pitched in a major-league game since 2020, and reports from his sim-game over the weekend suggest he’s still got plenty of juice left in the tank. His sinker was sitting in the low-90s and even touched 95.
Actually, he was sitting 92-93 and had a couple of 94s and one 95, https://t.co/S0BQxek8Ow
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 20, 2023
I’m going to keep my expectations low for Soroka. It’s impossible to expect him to come back after several years off and once again look like an All-Star. We may never see that version of the Maple Maddux again, but every time he hops on the mound, there will always be a glimmer of hope that he can regain form and become a critical piece of the team again.
Health remains a significant concern, but if he can stay healthy the entire season, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be a factor in Atlanta later in the year. It might not happen overnight, and the Braves won’t rush him, but he possesses talent that can’t be taught. I don’t think there’s a baseball fan on the planet that isn’t rooting for him to succeed.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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