This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato's Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Ten years ago, Michael Soroka was a high schooler being selected by the Braves with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 Draft. In three weeks, the 27-year-old right-hander will enter Nationals Spring Training looking to prove he has what it takes to stick in his former role as a starter while stepping into a new role with five seasons of Major League experience.

¡°There's a lot of guys that are looking for opportunities, and some guys that made big strides last year,¡± Soroka said. ¡°It¡¯s exciting. To think of myself in the role of being the guy coming in to almost be a veteran presence, if you will, is kind of interesting, because it's the first time in my career I thought of myself as that.¡±

Soroka has been pitching on Major League mounds since he debuted on May 1, 2018, at age 20. He was a starter during his career with the Braves -- which included missing all of 2021 and ¡®22 because of injuries -- before he shifted to the bullpen following early-season struggles with the White Sox in ¡®24.

A 2.75 ERA and 15 strikeouts per nine innings as a reliever garnered attention in free agency. Soroka signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Nationals in December to join the starting rotation.

¡°I've always kind of had a confidence when I came up -- and it was almost an unearned confidence, to be honest with you,¡± Soroka said in his introductory Zoom last month. ¡°I had no reason to doubt myself because I had success in the Minor Leagues, success early in my big league career. Then, once injuries started happening, performance was more difficult. Finding that confidence was a challenge.

¡°But once I got there and got to that point last year, I felt like it was time to really show people what I've been working on the last few years and how it's all kind of coming together. It¡¯s a time where I wanted to get back into a rotation, because that's where I feel like my skills still lie best. I'm young enough still to where I think that that's definitely something that I can do and stay healthy.¡±

Among the Nationals¡¯ starting pitchers, Soroka is the same age as Josiah Gray and Jake Irvin.

Soroka isn¡¯t that far removed from being on the receiving end of veteran advice in the Braves¡¯ clubhouse, either. He noted the guidance he received from Freddie Freeman, Tyler Flowers and Darren O¡¯Day, among others, early in his career.

Soroka also remembers seeing righty Kevin Gausman, who was in his age-28 season at the time, struggle in 2019. In spite of the fact Soroka was in his first All-Star season, he still took in how Gausman handled the challenges.

¡°[He was] in a difficult year, but you could tell that he kept working and he kept putting things together,¡± Soroka said. ¡°It was just a matter of time -- and eventually, he did. But having that presence of somebody who's been around a little bit, been through struggles, been through successes, it can be very valuable to a team. I hope to provide that like he did for me.¡±

As Soroka overcame injuries and battled ups and downs, he looked to the longevity of former teammate Charlie Morton. The righty, who turned 41 in November, is entering his 18th season on a one-year, $15 million deal with the Orioles.

¡°Most of his success has come in his 30s,¡± said Soroka. ¡°That's something that's important to see: If you just keep going, things will work out. ¡­ Another thing that got me through this whole process was understanding that I do have some time, but that it's now time to figure out how to perform at my best again and show people that that is still in there as a starter.¡±

Soroka will be walking into a relatively new group of teammates in West Palm Beach, Fla. He knows Juan Yepez from their time in the Minors, which many of the young Nats have just experienced.

¡°A cool thing to be able to do is make friends with the guys that are coming up and kind of show them how to be a big leaguer,¡± said Soroka. ¡°It¡¯s not something that we are ever really taught until you get there, but it's something that's exciting, something that we're all very lucky to be able to do and share. Being a presence in the clubhouse, getting some laughs, getting things going and keeping the vibes in a good place, that's really important.¡±