Michael Soroka had been absent from Major League Baseball for nearly 34 months, recovering and rehabilitating from a twice-torn Achilles tendon and the three surgeries required to repair it before his return at the end of May. On the other hand, Michael Tonkin had been absent from the majors for 5 1/2 years, during which he made around 215 relief appearances for nine teams in four countries. Sometimes, he barely earned enough to put food on the table for his wife and their two children, who were born during that time.

Both Atlanta Braves pitchers are emblematic of perseverance, with their stories becoming integral to this Braves season, which has been one of the best in franchise history, at least thus far. However, their similarities end there. Tonkin’s comeback this season has been an unexpected success story, exceeding all expectations. The 6-foot-7 reliever has become somewhat of this year’s Tyler Matzek in terms of surpassing expectations and making an impact in the Braves bullpen.

“Considering everything he’s done, he might be the MVP of the pitching staff,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Tonkin, who is 33 years old and boasts a 3.44 ERA in 38 appearances and 68 2/3 innings, tied for the second-most among NL relievers. Before the Braves’ 10-6 loss on Tuesday, in which he allowed a ninth-inning homer to Nolan Gorman — Gorman’s second homer of the game — Tonkin had the lowest WHIP among NL relievers ranked in the top 24 for innings pitched, with a 0.96 WHIP.

“The different roles that he’s assumed, situations that he’s come through in so big, and what he’s done has just been phenomenal,” Snitker said. “Every year you have that guy that you’re not really counting on, who steps up and embraces their opportunity. And everything he’s been through — it’s a book, a movie, the whole thing.”

If Soroka ever returns to something close to the effectiveness he enjoyed in 2019, when he was considered the Next Great Braves Starter, it would also be a story worthy of Hollywood due to the adversity he’s faced. However, he isn’t there yet, as was evident once again on Tuesday. Soroka struggled and exited after three innings in his sixth start this season, after reporting discomfort and numbness in the fingers of his pitching hand. “He said he didn’t know when it started,” Snitker said. Asked if the numbness seemed significant, Snitker replied, “Yeah, I think it’s probably a big deal.” Soroka was being examined after the game and was unavailable for comment.

The St. Louis Cardinals scored five runs on four hits against him, including a pair of two-run homers, with one walk and six strikeouts in just three innings. It was only the ninth loss for the Braves in their last 39 home games. It was certainly not the outing Soroka had envisioned, especially after his recent strong performances in Triple-A. Earlier on Tuesday, he was named Triple-A International League Pitcher of the Month for August, boasting a 2.77 ERA and .165 opponents’ average in five starts, with 34 strikeouts and eight walks in 26 innings.

Tyler O’Neill and Gorman hit the homers in the second and third innings off Soroka, who threw 34 strikes in 60 pitches and left with the Braves trailing 5-1. Ozzie Albies gave the Braves a 1-0 lead with a first-inning homer, his 29th, leaving the Braves just one homer shy of becoming the second team in MLB history to have five hitters with at least 30 homers. They would join the 2019 Minnesota Twins, whose single-season record of 307 homers is also being threatened by the Braves.

Cardinals starter Milos Mikolas allowed eight hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings, including solo homers by Albies, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson, who leads the majors with 45 homers. Marcell Ozuna also homered for the Braves. Despite Soroka’s promising season stats and prior to landing on the IL on Tuesday, there have been reasons for Soroka and the Braves to be hopeful. In three of his six MLB starts, he pitched six innings, limiting the Miami Marlins to three runs and six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in one of those outings.

“I’m just amazed that he’s gotten to this point after being out for so long,” Snitker said. “It’s a credit to his work ethic and determination. That’s a long time to be out and try to pitch a full season.” Soroka underwent countless hours of grueling rehabilitation after his first torn Achilles, which occurred during his third start of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Following a setback and subsequent clean-up surgery due to his body rejecting the internal sutures used in the initial procedure, he endured the entire rehabilitation process again.