CHICAGO (AP) — After just 31 pitches in two innings with his new team, Cubs starter Michael Soroka is headed to the injured list with right shoulder discomfort.
The right-hander left Monday night’s 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field after the second inning in his first appearance with the Cubs — and on his 28th birthday — since being acquired from Washington last Wednesday in a trade deadline deal.
The Cubs sent minor-league prospects Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin — who had been ranked Nos. 13 and 14, respectively, on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 list for the Cubs — to the Nationals in exchange for Soroka.
The Cubs were hoping the right-hander could help fill a gap in Chicago’s starting rotation, with ace left-hander Justin Steele out for the season and right-handers Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad working their way back from injuries.
But Soroka, who’s had an injury-plagued MLB career, is now out after pitching just two innings with his fourth MLB team.
“He said he let a pitch go in the second inning and just didn’t feel good,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Finished the inning, but came into the dugout and said his shoulder was not feeling good, so it’s an IL.”
Counsell said he wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury and that Soroka would undergo tests and examination.
“I don’t think we should speculate,” Counsell said. “It’s an IL, and the doctors will take a look and then we’ll go from there.”
Soroka allowed one run and one hit — Tyler Stephenson’s solo homer — and struck out three while walking one before being replaced by Ben Brown in the third inning.
Soroka, making his 17th start of the season between the Nationals and Cubs, came into Monday’s game 3-8 with 4.87 ERA. The righty began his career with a bang, going 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in an All-Star season with the Atlanta Braves in 2019. But he tore his right Achilles tendon twice, causing him to miss the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
In 2024, he was 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA for the crosstown White Sox as they set the modern-era MLB record for losses in a season with 121.
“His velocity has gone a little bit backwards, and he’s trying to figure out how to address that,” Counsell said. “I think he was very optimistic in the first couple days here that we could help him there and things could get better.”
The Cubs, who fell three games behind Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central after the Brewers won in Atlanta on Monday night, continue their three-game against the Reds on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field.