26.1 percent of major leaguers were born outside of the United States

By Apr 1, 2014, 4:30 PM EDT
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Major League Baseball just released its annual demographic breakdown, which shows that 223 of 853 major league players (750 on 25-man rosters, 103 on the disabled list) were born outside of the U.S., which is 26.1 percent. They represent 16 countries and territories outside the U.S. The breakdown:

Dominican Republic: 82
Venezuela: 59
Cuba: 19
Puerto Rico 11
Canada: 10
Japan: 9
Mexico: 9
Curaçao: 5
Colombia: 4
Panama 4
Nicaragua: 3
Australia: 2
South Korea: 2
Taiwan: 2
Aruba: 1
Brazil: 1
Mars: Brian Wilson

The Texas Rangers have the most foreign-born players with a total of 15. The press release didn’t say which team has the least. But I’m going to go with the 1948 Boston Red Sox.

Braves option Michael Soroka to Triple-A Gwinnett after two starts in comeback bid

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 10:09 PM EDT
Joseph Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
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ATLANTA – Atlanta right-hander Michael Soroka, who posted an 8.38 ERA in two starts in his comeback from two right Achilles tendon tears, was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

The move came after Soroka allowed five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings in Atlanta’s 8-5 win at Arizona on Sunday. All of Soroka’s runs allowed came with two outs. After the game, he said: “That’s not quite me.”

Soroka, an All-Star as a rookie in 2019, was Atlanta’s opening day starter in 2020 before suffering his first Achilles tendon tear early in the season. He needed a follow-up procedure before suffering a second tear in 2021.

The Braves didn’t immediately announce who will replace Soroka in the rotation. An option could be rookie AJ Smith Shawver, who threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief in his debut on Sunday.

The Braves on Monday also claimed infielder Lucas Williams off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and optioned Williams to Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Max Fried was transferred to the 60-day injured list.