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The Atlanta Braves made a surprise roster move on Tuesday, reinstating starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver from the injured list. Smith-Shawver will be part of the Braves’ bullpen, but he might not pitch, per Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The Braves need bullpen coverage after Monday’s exciting extra-innings win against the Diamondbacks on Monday night.
Smith-Shawver was scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, which would’ve been his second rehab outing. He’s been working to make his way back from a Grade 2 left oblique strain suffered during a start at Wrigley Field in May.
In his lone start for the Braves this season, he pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing three hits, two walks and struck out four. He had just been called up from Triple-A ahead of that outing. He suffered the oblique strain during that start, though he didn't mention it until after he was removed from the game.
In seven career MLB appearances, he has a 3.64 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings of work.
On Monday, the Braves won an 11-inning game. In it, Grant Holmes threw three innings, Raisel Iglesias tossed two – for the first time since 2021 – and Joe Jiménez hurled one. Holmes and Iglesias will be down for Tuesday’s game, which means that the Braves needed a fresh arm.
Why Braves All-Star missed Monday's start against Diamondbacks
Chris Sale is back to being one of the best starting pitchers in the MLB in his first season with the Atlanta Braves. Sale, in fact, made the All-Star Game roster thanks in large part to his 2.71 ERA across 16 starts (99.2 innings pitched). However, the Braves' decision to scratch Sale from his scheduled Monday night start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a game that Atlanta won 5-4, raised some eyebrows. After all, Sale has been very injury-prone over the past few seasons, and missing a start rarely bodes well for anyone.
The good news is that Braves fans do not have much reason to worry. He is not about to miss any extended action, as he'll be starting for the Braves on Tuesday night in the second game of their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His start was merely pushed back in favor of the return of former All-Star Bryce Elder from Triple-A as part of their focus on keeping the starters “fresh” as they head into the All-Star break.
Elder allowed three runs over five innings and was optioned back to Triple-A in order to make room for Smith-Shawver.
The Braves are navigating the loss of ace Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton's age, the fact that Reynaldo Lopez hadn't been a starter in several seasons before 2024, and Sale's injury history. That has led the team to call up carious Triple-A pitchers and give them a chance to work in a couple starts in order to relieve the staff's workload.
Hopefully, the moves pay dividends this October.
