Michael Soroka

March 31, 2026

Dominant in first start

Soroka (1-0) earned the win over Detroit on Monday, allowing four hits and issuing one walk while striking out 10 batters over five scoreless innings.

Analysis

Soroka dazzled throughout the start, racking up 12 whiffs and even recording the first immaculate inning of the 2026 campaign in his fifth and final frame. The right-hander was rolling at the time he was pulled, retiring eight straight batters (including six by strikeout), but Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo opted not to push the hurler any further after he reached 89 pitches. Soroka has struggled with injuries for much of his career and hasn't reached 100 big-league innings since 2019, so it's reasonable for Arizona to be cautious with his pitch counts. With that being said, Soroka averaged over a strikeout per frame each of the past two campaigns (during which he was deployed as both a starter and reliever), and Monday's outing makes him an intriguing option for fantasy managers in need of starting pitching.