ATLANTA -- Mike Soroka has eagerly awaited the chance to rejoin Atlanta's rotation, but he is also cognizant of the possibility that he might have subjected himself to a significant injury had he not rested his right shoulder.
"It was one of those things that wasn't going to go away unless we took time off," Soroka said. "So, it was like, do we pitch through it until it tells me, 'no,' or do we get rid of it now and make sure we know why it happened and we can get rid of it and, hopefully, it never comes back."
Soroka has spent the past two weeks on the disabled list with inflammation in his right shoulder he began feeling after his May 12 start in Miami. The Braves immediately made it clear that the 20-year-old pitcher wasn't dealing with a significant ailment.
As recently as Tuesday, manager Brian Snitker said, "I think it's been more of a precaution. I would venture to say down the road when he feels that again, it won't be as big of a deal to him, and he'll just keep pitching."
Soroka believes he was dealing with more than just the normal soreness he may occasionally encounter over the course of his career.
"I think there was a little confusion that it was just soreness," Soroka said. "It was [just a little] inflammation that wasn't normal. I knew something wasn't normal. That's why I brought it forward. I made sure we took care of it.
"You're just putting your whole arm at risk, not just that little area. If smaller muscles are inflamed, then bigger muscles are taking a toll. Then it could be your elbow. That has happened to some of these guys who have had injuries in the past."
Soroka rested the shoulder for a few days, then began working his way toward the rehab start he will make for Class A Rome on Friday. He could be activated next week, but the Braves have not determined whether he will need to make more than one start in the Minors before coming off the DL.
Ranked as baseball's No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Soroka posted a 3.68 ERA in the three starts he made before going on the disabled list.
"It's definitely not the easiest thing to take time off when you know you could pitch through it," Soroka said. "But it was necessary."