Albies readying for return; Soroka continues rehab

ATLANTA -- The Braves made a pair of additions on Thursday, as Major League rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players, but the bigger news came regarding two players who are still a little ways away.

In addition to reinstating infielder Orlando Arcia from the injured list and formally adding reliever Jesse Chavez after a recent waiver claim, Atlanta announced updates on rehabbing infielder Ozzie Albies and right-hander Michael Soroka.

Albies began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, his first game action since suffering a fracture in his left foot in June. Soroka was reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Gwinnett, where he had already been pitching, in order to continue building strength and effectiveness.

Manager Brian Snitker said that Albies’ health is very good, and it’s simply a matter of getting him back to full game speed after more than two months away. Albies started at designated hitter for Gwinnett on Thursday and is slated to play second base on Friday.

“I think Ozzie just needs to start playing some games and get his body back into baseball shape,” Snitker said. “He’s ready to go. He’s done everything he can do here as far as the physical part of it. The foot, they’ve looked at it, everything’s checked out physically. He just needs to get back timing, things like that.”

Soroka’s situation is more uncertain. The righty hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since 2020, having suffered two separate right Achilles injuries. He’s made three Minor League appearances with mixed effectiveness, but lasted a season-high 4 2/3 innings his last time out. It’s unclear when he’ll be ready to pitch in big league games again, but he’s working toward it.

“He just needs to keep making his starts,” Snitker said. “He missed two years. He’s stretched out and he’ll make his next start [Friday] night. He just needs to keep building on that.”