Mike Soroka Recalled by Braves from Triple-A Gwinnett, Starting Tonight vs. Mets

The Atlanta Braves have called up highly touted right-hander Mike Soroka and will have him take the mound for his major-league debut against the New York Mets on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

Atlanta announced the news via Twitter:

The team optioned pitcher Chase Whitley to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding roster move.

According to MLB.com, Soroka is the Braves' No. 3 overall prospect behind outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and pitcher Kyle Wright. He is the No. 30 overall prospect in all of baseball.

Atlanta had skipped the fifth spot in the rotation the last two times through, and this move will give the rest of the starters an extra day of rest following Monday's off day.

Taken by Atlanta with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 draft out of high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the 20-year-old has quickly worked his way up through the farm system. He has gone from rookie ball to Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A in four years. Wildly, his numbers have only gotten better along the way.

In four starts with the Gwinnett Braves this season, Soroka was 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and a .207 batting average against. He had 24 strikeouts to just five walks in 22.2 innings, tossing one complete game. 

He is 22-19 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 65 outings (63 starts) through the first three-plus seasons of his professional career.

Soroka's arsenal features a sinking fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s, a fluid breaking ball and a solid changeup. Not only does he have quality stuff, but he has excellent command, as evident by just 76 walks in 353.1 minor league innings.

As if he wasn't already on everyone's radar entering the season, Soroka caught the attention of Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, allowing just one run on two hits with five punchouts in five innings during three spring appearances.

"To his credit, as much as they kicked the ball behind him, he didn't react or pout," Anthopoulos said, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman. "He kept his composure. That's the kind of stuff you want to see. He just stayed professional the whole way."

Atlanta (16-11) is off to a strong start this season, sitting just a game-and-a-half behind the Mets for first place in the National League East. The offense ranks second in average and third in runs scored, and the rotation's 3.42 ERA is fifth-best in all of baseball.