Michael Soroka a healthy scratch Sunday, likely to start Monday for Braves (UPDATED)

The wait may soon be over. Michael Soroka was a healthy scratch for his scheduled start Sunday for Gwinnett and could be on the verge of returning to the majors for the first time since suffering a torn Achilles in 2020. The Stripers announced Sunday morning that Nolan Kingham would be their starter for Sunday’s game. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Justin Toscano followed up that Soroka was a healthy scratch.

Soroka threw 96 pitches and allowed two hits and one run over six innings in his last start for The Stripers this past Tuesday. Brian Snitker said Wednesday that Soroka getting stretched out to around 100 pitches was key to his return.

“I think one of the things he did last night was he got extended with his pitches,” Snitker said of Soroka. “He’s going to need to be able to come up here and be able to work in and throw at least 100 pitches when he gets here. I think he had 96 last night if I’m not mistaken. So covering innings is the big thing. Stuff’s getting better and it’s all headed in the right direction really. I think when and if we need him, he’ll be ready.”

Soroka was hoping to come into the season healthy, but was delayed during the spring by a strained hamstring. The Braves played it safe with him and had him slowly build up, making eight starts at Gwinnett.

The Braves haven’t announced anything in regards to Soroka or their pitching plans for their upcoming series in Oakland. A confirmation would likely come at the earliest, following Sunday’s series finale against the Phillies. They could also opt to wait until sometime Monday.

UPDATE - Alex Anthopoulos was a guest this morning on MLB Network Radio and pretty much confirmed that it will be Soroka starting in Oakland Monday.