Canadian right-hander Mike Soroka started on the road to a return to the Atlanta Braves with a very encouraging outing on Tuesday.
The Calgary native gave up one hit and struck out eight in four innings for the High-A Rome Braves against the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the first game of a major-league rehab assignment.
Soroka needed just 45 pitches to get through four innings.
A 2019 All-Star in his first major-league season, Soroka hasn't pitched in the big leagues since tearing his right Achilles tendon during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
He tore it again last year, leading to a much longer recuperation than anyone expected.
Soroka, 25, is 15-6 with a 2.86 ERA in 37 career major-league starts.
The Braves picked Soroka in the first round (28th overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft.
— with files from AP