With a rehab start scheduled for Tuesday, Michael Soroka’s return offers the Arizona Diamondbacks' rotation a major boost as the front office navigates a high-stakes trade deadline.
The status of Michael Soroka doesn't directly correlate with how busy the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to be at the trade deadline, but having him back could help them pursue other areas of need.
Just a day after the team's president and CEO confirmed they're "buyers and sellers," it's an interesting time to learn that Soroka will be back on the mound this Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Soroka is set for a rehab outing in Reno exactly one day after the trade deadline, according to 98.7 FM's John Gambadoro.
Seeing as this team has a 10-game homestand coming up, if all goes well in his rehab start, Arizona should expect to have him back after that. Soroka's first start after the trade deadline could come back at Chase Field, and he may or may not re-join the roster with a fresh face or two in the clubhouse.
Diamondbacks receive great news on Soroka
According to Gambadoro, Soroka has "a goal of 4 or 5 innings and around 50-60 pitches" for his first rehab start.
The 28-year-old has been on the 15-day Injured List since late June. His last start came on Friday, June 19, in an outing where he threw just nine pitche sin one inning.
Prior to that, Soroka had been an incredible asset to this team. The Diamondbacks are still projected to be a Wild Card team, but they could compete for that top spot if Soroka comes back as healthy as he was in the first half of the season.
Currently in the midst of his first year with the D-backs, Soroka sports a stellar 8-3 record with a 3.07 ERA. His 1.09 WHIP is remarkable, and he's a 2.2 WAR player which is the second highest of his career, only behind the 5.7 he had back in 2019.
Does Arizona still need another starter?
With all the struggles and inconstant starts from veterans such as Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Arizona to bring in another starting pitcher.
In order to avoid being one-and-done in the playoffs, the Diamondbacks know they could use one of the options available in these next few days. No one is saying they have to go out and get Tarik Skubal, but even a guy like Freddy Peralta could help get this team another couple of wins.
The trade deadline takes center stage, no doubt, but after that it's all eyes on Soroka as Arizona hopes the Canadian native returns to form upon his return.
