CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander Michael Soroka on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with a shoulder strain after he pitched just two innings in his first game with his new team.
Chicago also recalled right-hander Nate Pearson from Triple-A Iowa prior to its matchup with Cincinnati.
Before Tuesday’s game with the Reds, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he wasn’t sure of the extent of Soroka’s injury.
“We did imaging,” Counsell said. “Still waiting on the doctor.”
The Cubs traded two minor leaguers to Washington for Soroka last week. He was expected to help fill a gap in their rotation while Jameson Taillon and Javier Assad worked their way back from injuries.
But Soroka departed Monday night’s 3-2 loss to Cincinnati with shoulder soreness on his 28th birthday.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said the club talked extensively about a dip in Soroka’s velocity before acquiring the pitcher.
“Earlier he was sitting at much higher velocity. It was kind of coming down,” Hoyer said. “We were trying to get to the bottom of exactly what that was, and he had had the MRI before that. So yeah, I mean clearly that risk profile was known.
“We decided given the asking price and given the fact that we felt like he was sort of a notch above some of the other guys we were talking about in terms of talent and development opportunities we thought it was the right risk.”
With Soroka out, Counsell had no concrete plans on adjusting the team’s rotation. Soroka is 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA in 17 starts this season.
Pearson went 0-1 with a 12.66 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with the Cubs earlier this year.
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