The Michael Soroka experience in 2024 was nothing to write home about. Originally breaking into the big leagues with the Braves, Soroka was acquired by the White Sox in the six-player deal that sent lefty reliever Aaron Bummer to Atlanta prior to 2024. Soroka appeared in 25 games for the 2024 White Sox, taking a loss in an eye-opening 10 of them, and didn’t perform well enough for the White Sox to consider bringing him back. Two years later, Soroka is healthy and thriving in the desert, and his latest gem took his bounce-back season to the next level.
Michael Soroka, Dirty 78mph Back Foot Slurve. 😨 pic.twitter.com/kjMM5LRoLd
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 12, 2026
Soroka began his career as a starter with Atlanta, and his first full-season in 2019 put him into the conversation with the best starting pitchers in baseball. At just 21, Soroka went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 174.2 innings, making the National League all-star team and finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting. Unfortunately, injuries got in the way of his continued development. He made just three starts in 2020 before suffering a torn achilles that ultimately wiped out two full seasons. He returned to Atlanta in 2023, but struggled to a 6.40 ERA in seven appearances. Rather than non-tender him, the Braves included him in the trade to the White Sox before 2024. Soroka landed a one-year deal with the Nationals following his season with the White Sox and moved to the bullpen after a deadline trade to the Cubs.
Michael Soroka looks resurgent with Dbacks in 2026
Arizona liked what they saw from Soroka during his 17 starts in 2025 and offered him a one-year deal to be a starter. So far, in eight starts, Soroka has a 3.53 ERA (3.19 FIP), his best mark since his all-star 2019 season. His latest gem saw him deal 6.1 scoreless innings against a tough Rangers lineup on Monday night. At just 28 years old, Soroka seems to be finally putting it all together after a tough bout with injuries. He’s cut his walk rate in half since his White Sox stint, and he’s improved his offspeed pitches enough to have a full starter’s arsenal. While he may never regain his ace form, Soroka looks the part of a serviceable starting pitcher for the first time in a few years.
The trend of the past few seasons has been players leaving the White Sox and finding success elsewhere. Chris Getz’s regime has been attempting to change the narrative in recent years and instead make the White Sox a desired destination for players to regain their footing. The breakout season of Miguel Vargas has been a great step in this direction. The White Sox took chances with a handful of other post-hype players this year in Everson Pereira, Jarred Kelenic, and Luisangel Acuna. They’ll never be able to fix everyone, but a few success stories would go a long way toward improving the White Sox reputation.
While the success of Michael Soroka in Arizona isn’t necessarily a positive look for the organization, the hope is that these stories will become fewer and farther between as the White Sox continue to revamp their player development and build a perennial contender.
With the ability to give “runway”, I expect to see the White Sox take a chance on more of these post-hype players in the coming years, and hopefully some of them will end up being big-time successes.
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