Michael Soroka exits his Cubs debut after 2 innings with right shoulder discomfort

Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune on Aug 4, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — Michael Soroka’s Chicago Cubs debut lasted only two innings.

Soroka departed after the second inning Monday against the Cincinnati Reds due to right shoulder discomfort. Television cameras captured Soroka talking to pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and head athletic trainer Nick Frangella in the dugout between innings.

Right-hander Ben Brown, who was available out of the bullpen this turn through the rotation, replaced Soroka.

Soroka, who turned 28 on Monday, allowed one run on a solo home run by catcher Tyler Stephenson in the second to give the Reds a brief lead. He struck out three of the four batters he faced in the opening frame and tossed 31 pitches in his two innings.

Notably, Soroka’s velocity was again down on all of his pitches, a trend that was already concerning when the Cubs acquired him Wednesday just before the trade deadline from the Washington Nationals.

After posting a season-high 94.9 mph average on his four-seam fastball in his start on June 22, it steadily declined over the ensuing four weeks, dropping as low as a 90.9 mph average on July 23. Although his fastball velocity ticked up marginally in his last start before the trade, the pitch sat at a season-low 90.8 mph Monday.

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