The Chicago Cubs suffered another injury-related starting pitching setback in Monday’s frustrating 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Trade deadline acquisition Michael Soroka went down after just two innings pitched with his new team.
“He said he let a pitch go in the second inning and it just didn’t feel good,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “Came in the dugout and said the shoulder was not feeling good. It’s an IL (stint) and we’ll see what the next steps are…
“Look, you feel bad for Michael first and just hope that there’s just some discomfort there and a couple weeks can take care of it. That’s where we’re at. We’re going to have to wait to get more information before we know what we’re dealing with.”
Chicago Cubs karma?
Jul 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Michael Soroka (34) walks off the field after pitching during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Critics of the Cubs’ passive run at the July 31 trade deadline could almost call this injury karma for the team’s failure to acquire a much-needed front-of-rotation pitcher to bolster a staff already strained due to injury and general wear and tear.
Instead, the only starter acquired at the deadline by Cubs president Jed Hoyer was the oft-injured Soroka, who, at 81.1 innings pitched so far this season for the Washington Nationals, had amassed his highest inning total since 2019.
Over the course of his eight years as a major leaguer, Soroka has had elbow issues, shoulder issues, hamstring issues, and two ACL tears which cost him two whole seasons. Earlier this season, he had gone on the IL with a bicep injury.
Prior to the trade, Soroka had experienced an almost 3 mph drop in velocity over recent starts. An MRI taken prior to his last start with Washington on July 29 reportedly gave him a clean bill of health.
The Cubs had seen his medical reports and apparently had no reservations about trading two top 15 prospects for him.
Soroka speaks about his injury
“I didn’t have any discomfort, I didn’t have any pain. There was no reason to believe there was anything wrong,” Soroka told media after the game. “We cleared that. Unfortunately, that changed a little bit in the second inning today.”
“I went to go put a little extra on a fastball and it grabbed me a little bit,” Soroka said of the injury. “It didn’t go away. You feel things here and there through the course of an outing. Usually if you throw another one and it’s gone, it’s nothing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. So, I decided to say something when I came in after that inning.”
Cubs rotation, back to where it was
May 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown (32) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The 28-year-old will now be headed to the IL and the Cubs rotation goes back to what it was before the trade deadline– hanging on precariously with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga at the top and rookie Cade Horton, along with veteran swing man Colin Rea, coming after them. The up and down Ben Brown, who took the mound after Soroka’s injury and pitched 4 good innings, will probably take up the fifth rotation spot until Jameson Taillon finishes his rehab assignment in the minors.
Soroka, meanwhile, is hoping to roll with these punches and get back to a place where he can help his new team win.
“There’s difficulties in this game,” Soroka said. “I’m no stranger to them. Unfortunately, this is another one. I’m going to be working with the staff day and night to get back out there.”
“You come to this org and you hope to hit the ground running,” he added. “Two innings later, we’re having to pull the plug. Obviously, it’s concerning, but there is hope that it’s something that can be taken care of fairly quickly. Hopefully we’ll be back out there in some respect at some point soon.,,
“I think there’s a lot of baseball left for this club and I’d like to be a big part of that down the stretch. We’re going to do everything possible to be there.”
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