CHICAGO (AP) — After just two innings with his new team, Chicago Cubs starter Michael Soroka is headed to the injured list with right shoulder discomfort.
The right-hander left Monday night's 3-2 loss to Cincinnati after the second inning in his first appearance with the Cubs — and on his 28th birthday — since being acquired from Washington last Wednesday.
“He said he let a pitch go in the second inning and just didn't feel good,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Finished the inning, but came into the dugout and said his shoulder was not feeling good, so it's an IL.”
Soroka allowed one run and one hit — Tyler Stephenson's solo shot — and struck out three while walking one before being replaced by Ben Brown in the third inning.
Soroka came in a trade from the Nationals for two minor leaguers to help fill a gap in Chicago’s rotation, with ace left-hander Justin Steele out for the season and Jameson Taillon working his way back from a right calf strain.
Counsell said he wasn't sure of the severity of the injury and that Soroka would undergo tests and examination.
"I don’t think we should speculate," Counsell said. “It's an IL and the doctors will take a look and then we'll go from there.”
Soroka, making his 17th start of the season, came in 3-8 with 4.87 ERA. The righty began his career with a bang, going 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in an All-Star season with the Braves in 2019. But he tore his right Achilles tendon twice, causing him to miss the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
In 2024 he was 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA for the crosstown White Sox as they set the modern-era record for losses in a season with 121.
“His velocity has gone a little bit backwards and he's trying to figure out how to address that,” Counsell said. “I think he was very optimistic in the first couple days here that we could help him there and things could get better.”
AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
Chicago Cubs starter Michael Soroka delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.
The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.
“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”
A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.
“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”
Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.
When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.
“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”
Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.
The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.
Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.
“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”
AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
