Michael

Soroka

Soroka is working his way back from a left glute strain that put him on the injured list back in late June. The general expectation is that he’ll need at least one minor league rehab start before returning to Arizona’s rotation at some point in August.

Soroka threw a bullpen on Tuesday as he continues to work back from his glute strain. It sounds like the results of the bullpen might have been mixed since he still does not have a rehab appearance scheduled. Once his glute feels good enough for game action, Soroka will need at least one rehab start before rejoining Arizona’s rotation.

Soroka is still dealing with a bit of soreness, so the Diamondbacks will take a cautious approach and give him a couple of extra days out. The plan had been for him to rejoin their rotation immediately following the All-Star break, but it looks like he’s going to need at least another week or so before he’s ready.

Soroka has resumed throwing after hitting the injured list with a left glute strain back on June 20. The 28-year-old is probably going to wind up being out through next month’s All-Star break, but it qualifies as an encouraging development that he’s making some progress already.

This is especially painful on the heels of Ryne Nelson’s injury. It originally sounded like Brandon Pfaadt would make at least one more minor league start, but he might be needed before then. Mitch Bratt and Dylan Ray don’t seem like great options at the moment. Tommy Henry is available, but he has a 7.67 ERA for Reno.

The injury was originally announced as left hip discomfort, but it has since moved down a bit. If Soroka joins Ryne Nelson on the IL for the D-backs, then Brandon Pfaadt figures to get a rotation spot a little earlier than anticipated.

Soroka suffered the injury while throwing a warmup pitch before the start of the second inning. He’s heading for additional evaluation. Until the Diamondbacks see how he comes through that exam and how he’s feeling on Saturday, it’s impossible to know whether or not the 28-year-old hurler will be able to make his next scheduled start.

Soroka came back out and threw a warmup pitch before the second inning and immediately called for the trainer. He was unable to throw any additional pitches. It appeared to be some sort of lower body injury, perhaps a groin or a quad. Expect the Diamondbacks to provide an update on his status as soon as more information becomes available.

Soroka was brilliant against the Reds on Saturday, going seven innings of one-run ball for the second straight start. He tossed two quiet frames, then gave up a run on two hits in the third inning. He coasted the rest of the way, ending his day after seven frames with seven strikeouts. The 28-year-old right-hander will take a 3.11 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 79/17 K/BB ratio across 81 innings into a start against the Twins in Arizona on Friday.

Soroka allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six for his eighth win. In 13 starts, he’s given up eight runs once, four runs twice and never more than two runs otherwise. That he’s become more of a flyball pitcher while throwing fewer sinkers should have resulted in him giving up more homers, but he’s allowed just five on 17 barrels so far. He’ll take a 3.28 ERA into his next start in Cincinnati.