With the signing of notorious pest Luis Guillorme to a one-year/$1.1MM contract, the Braves moved one step closer to completing their roster of 26 players. Though not a very strong player, Guillorme can play all infield positions with passable defense and, as Alex mentioned, can be a real pain in the batter’s box. Guillorme is probably Ronald Acuna Jr.’s backup glass in an emergency situation. He is also a fellow Venezuelan.With Huascar Ynoa, the Braves also escaped arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $825K contract with him. When pitchers report for spring training in 2022, Ynoa will have had Tommy John surgery in September of 2022 and be 17 months post-surgery. He should eventually play a part in the bullpen, but since he has options, the Braves will probably gradually play him back into the big leagues, with his exact role to be determined later.

UPDATE ON TYLER MATZEK
Tyler Matzek is recuperating from a Tommy John operation, just like Ynoa. On October 12, 2022, he underwent surgery. Matzek is out of options, so the Braves should take him into consideration for Opening Day unless he needs more time.

Option in-house for final roster spot
There are just 12 position players on the Atlanta Braves’ 40-man roster, compared to 24 pitchers. The Braves are one RHH OFer/UT player away from filling the active roster after Guillorme signed. There is one option in the Braves farm, even though it is likely that the Braves replace this void externally.

Leury Garcia signed an MLB contract with the Braves. Garcia can play six positions and is a versatile defender and switch hitter. It so happens that he has a superior LHP than RHP swing.

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Review of the Atlanta Braves 2023 season: Michael Soroka’s wild journey

The Canadian right-hander’s comeback in 2023 was turbulent and full of ups and downs.Michael Soroka was positioned to be the next young star pitcher after an amazing 2019 season that saw him finish sixth in the NL Cy Young voting in his first full season of play. The Canadian pitcher, known as “Maple Maddox,” was well-regarded for his superb control and astute pitching. Injuries did not appear to be a major worry, despite not being intrusive.But 2020 turned out to be a disaster. Soroka injured his right Achilles in only his third start of the season, sidelining him for the whole campaign. Not even with prolonged rehabilitation and several operations was his damage healing as planned. It seems that he had gained enough strength to begin pitching around June 2021. Nevertheless, when he descended the steps to the Braves’ clubhouse, his right Achilles again let him down.

Certainly one of the biggest gut punches a player can receive was happening a second time, especially considering how much they had already proved at such a young age. After recovering through 2021, Soroka experienced his first taste of redemption in 2022 as he started pitching for the Rome Braves in his first game of competition in two years. Pitching for the Gwinnett Stripers, Soroka maintained his success and was called up to the major leagues in 2023.

Season 2023

With injuries and subpar play plaguing the back half of the Braves rotation, Soroka’s return was encouraging for both the team and the fan base. With a 1.32 ERA through his first three starts, Soroka had a great April for the Stripers.

After allowing more than three runs in just two of his eight games, the Braves brought him up on May 29th to start against the Oakland A’s, a team that was having trouble. But the A’s got a lot of hits off of Soroka, scoring four runs in six innings. His subsequent start produced essentially the same outcomes, with the Diamondbacks scoring seven runs in just 3.2 innings.After two bumpy beginnings, Soroka was returned to Gwinnett. Still, he pitched brilliantly over the course of the stretch. In nineteen innings, he gave up three runs while striking out eighteen batters. Atlanta summoned him back for a longer spell, seemingly as he was hitting his stride. But his initial return was largely the same. He was hit hard and gave up two home runs to the offensively challenged Miami Marlins. He only gave up two runs in his next two outings, but he only managed to complete 7.2 innings.

Soroka earned a victory over the Brewers in his last game before being demoted back to the Stripers, giving up four runs in six innings. Even after winning, it appeared from his challenges that he was nearly normal, but only a little bit away from becoming his dominant self. He was experiencing high-stress counts and full base paths due to missing areas that resulted in a lot of contact.

He was largely dominant in most of the Gwinnett games, stopping runners in their tracks and striking out batters. After making six more starts as a pitcher for the Stripers, Soroka was called up one last time, this time to face the Cardinals, on September 5. The youthful righty was well-viewed by the St. Louis batters, who scored five runs in just three innings.

In search of a new beginning, the Braves dealt Soroka and several other players to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for reliever Aaron Bummer. The action assisted the Sox in offloading a contract as players aim to resume their prior levels of performance.

In brief
All things considered, Soroka’s 2019 season was crucial to making the Braves a consistent MLB powerhouse. He was the youngest opening-day starter in team history and was adored by the fans. Despite three years of career setbacks due to injury, 2023 had high hopes for him to be a part of the starting lineup.

Regretfully, Soroka’s season on the pitch was somewhat unpredictable. With 17 starts and a 3.41 ERA in AAA, he was quite good. However, after making six starts and one appearance out of the bullpen with the Braves, his ERA ballooned to 6.40. It appeared as though a slow comeback required a AAAA level.

Soroka will be closely monitored as he develops and earns more starts for the White Sox organization even though the Braves traded him. It’s early to say, but if he can get back to his previous level of play, Chicago will get a steal.