Done for the year: Braves ace Soroka felled by torn Achilles

ATLANTA (AP) — When Mike Soroka's teammates heard him scream, they feared the worst.

When they saw him being helped off the field, unable to put any weight on his right leg, they knew it was bad.

“If Mike Soroka can't walk off the field, you know it's pretty serious,” said Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves' slugging first baseman.

One of baseball's brightest young pitching stars, Soroka is done for the year after tearing his right Achilles tendon during a seemingly routine play Monday night against the New York Mets.

On a grounder to Freeman's right, Soroka broke toward first to cover the bag.

He made it only one step.

Soroka tumbled to the ground in serious pain, got up for a few tentative steps, then dropped to his knees on the infield grass.

"I heard him yell,” Freeman said. “It’s just a terrible injury for somebody so young, so bright, so determined to be great at this game.”

The loss of Soroka is certainly a huge blow to the two-time reigning NL East champions, who already were struggling to put together a solid five-man rotation.

Former ace Mike Foltynewicz was sent outright to minor league camp after one dismal start and seems unlikely to be of help anytime soon, considering his noticeable drop in velocity since returning from the nearly four-month shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sean Newcomb has been roughed up in his two starts. Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint have shown promise but not nearly enough consistency to assure themselves permanent spots in the rotation.

Max Fried, a 17-game winner last season, is the only starter the Braves can really count on at this point.

“Somebody else is going to get an opportunity,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Things like that happen. These guys will regroup. Somebody is going to get an...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Done-for-the-year-Braves-ace-Soroka-felled-by-15456456.php