Braves recall Michael Soroka, select contract of Charlie Culberson

Michael Soroka will make his first home start since the 2020 season for the Atlanta Braves Friday against the Miami Marlins. The Braves made it official Friday morning announcing that Soroka had been recalled to the active roster. He takes the roster spot of Jared Shuster, who was optioned back to Gwinnett following Wednesday’s game.

This will be Soroka’s second stint in the majors this season. He made his return on May 29 in Oakland where he allowed five hits and four runs over six innings. He started again later that week in Arizona and struggled allowing seven hits and five runs over 3 2/3 innings.

Atlanta sent him back to the minors after that. In three starts since his demotion, he’s allowed three runs in 19 innings across three starts. He has 18 strikeouts over that span to go along with eight walks.

Soroka has taken a long and winding road back to the majors after two torn Achilles. He looked like a budding ace in 2019 when he put up a 2.68 ERA and a 3.45 FIP while logging 174 2/3 innings. He suffered the first Achilles injury in just his third start of the 2020 season. Soroka would suffer another tear the next season while walking through the team’s clubhouse. He returned to the mound in 2022 making six starts between Rome and Gwinnett. A sore hamstring limited him during the spring and he began the season at Gwinnett where he has a 3.31 ERA and 3.70 FIP through 11 starts and 54 1/3 innings.

Additionally, the Braves selected the contract of Charlie Culberson and optioned catcher Chadwick Tromp back to Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta transferred Dylan Lee to the 60-day injured list.

The Braves designated Culberson for assignment after Sean Murphy tweaked his hamstring during the last homestand against Colorado. He cleared waivers and they sent him outright to Gwinnett, but he rejected the assignment and became a free agent. He then re-signed with the Braves on a minor league deal.