MLB Player News
Top 300 Rankings
Videos
Columns
- American League East
- American League Central
- American League West
- National League East
- National League Central
- National League West
- American League East
  
  Baltimore Orioles
  
  Boston Red Sox
  
  New York Yankees
  
  Tampa Bay Rays
  
  Toronto Blue Jays
- American League Central
  
  Chicago White Sox
  
  Cleveland Guardians
  
  Detroit Tigers
  
  Kansas City Royals
  
  Minnesota Twins
- American League West
  
  Houston Astros
  
  Los Angeles Angels
  
  Athletics
  
  Seattle Mariners
  
  Texas Rangers
- National League East
  
  Atlanta Braves
  
  Miami Marlins
  
  New York Mets
  
  Philadelphia Phillies
  
  Washington Nationals
- National League Central
  
  Chicago Cubs
  
  Cincinnati Reds
  
  Milwaukee Brewers
  
  Pittsburgh Pirates
  
  St. Louis Cardinals
- National League West
  
  Arizona Diamondbacks
  
  Colorado Rockies
  
  Los Angeles Dodgers
  
  San Diego Padres
  
  San Francisco Giants
Stats

Smith-Shawver strikes out six in Triple-A

AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

Player Stats

AJ Smith-Shawver allowed two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

He also struck out six and walked four while throwing 55 of his 89 pitches for strikes. Smith-Shawver was used as the 27th man in the Braves’ doubleheader last week, which meant he headed back to the minors after the game. The Braves kept him on schedule during a trade deadline in which they tried to trade for Jacob deGrom and Logan Webb. Considering the Braves only came away with Tyler Mahle, Smith-Shawver still has a clear path to a rotation spot. The expectation is that he may make one more start in Triple-A to continue shaking some of the rust, and then he should be up in the big leagues for the remainder of the season.

- Eric Samulski

Recap

More AJ Smith-Shawver News

Sabathia: Eddings 'terrible' handling Rincon saga

CC Sabathia reveals his thoughts on umpire Doug Eddings' decision to make rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon straighten his cap before looking at the resulting fallout.

Up Next

Sabathia: Eddings ‘terrible’ handling Rincon saga

Alonso ‘delivered’ for Mets fans in return to NYC

The recipe for a Yankees championship run

Now is the time for Dodgers to buckle down

Sabathia shares favorite Subway Series memories

Patrick talks Alonso’s 300th, Brewers clinching

Alonso’s 300th HR cements power hitting prowess

Keep eyes on Bernal as potential keeper league add

Schmidt returns to NYY in reliever role

Luzardo’s IL-stint a ‘gut punch’ for managers

Related Player News

AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players

Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters AJ Smith-Shawver is moving to the bullpen.

Smith-Shawver has posted an inflated 7.71 ERA across 21 innings over five starts since making it back from last year’s Tommy John surgery in late July. The 23-year-old’s stuff should play up considerably in shorter bursts out of the bullpen and he figures to make Atlanta’s postseason roster. It’s unclear how the Braves are going to fill his rotation spot since he was lined up to face the Cubs on Wednesday.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

AJ Smith-Shawver allowed four runs in 3 1/3 innings and took the loss against the Rays on Tuesday.

Smith-Shawver gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three. He fell to 0-2 in five starts with a 7.71 ERA. Smith-Shawver hasn’t shown fantasy managers that he has much to offer in this tour of the big leagues. He’s lined up to face the Cubs on the road next week.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

AJ Smith-Shawver allowed five runs in four innings and took the loss against the Nationals on Tuesday.

Smith-Shawver gave up six hits, walked three and struck out five. He fell to 0-1 in four starts with a 7.13 ERA. Smith-Shawver can safely be left on the waiver wire in mixed leagues for now. He’s lined up to face the Rays at home next week.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

AJ Smith-Shawver surrendered three runs in five innings Wednesday in a no-decision against the Dodgers.

Smith-Shawver’s velocity was up from last week, though it faded quickly; his fastball averaged 97.4 mph in the first, 95.6 mph in the third and 93.8 mph in the fifth, Still, the overall average of 96.1 mph was closer to the 96.8 mph he averaged in Triple-A than last week’s 95.0 mph against the Twins. Smith-Shawver ended up with three strikeouts and three walks tonight. It was a more promising showing than last week’s, but it wasn’t the kind of performance that suggests he needs to be picked up right now in mixed leagues. He’ll probably face the Nationals next week.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

AJ Smith-Shawver surrendered four runs in 4 1/3 innings Wednesday versus the Twins.

Smith-Shawver averaged 96.8 mph with his fastball during his seven Triple-A starts and 97.2 mph in his one start for the Braves last month, but he didn’t show that kind of stuff today. He averaged 95.0 mph with his 20 fastballs, and the 31 splitters he threw were 2.8 mph slower than they were a few weeks ago. Maybe it was a one-time blip, but if not, he’s going to be a whole lot less interesting down the stretch. He’s supposed to stay in the rotation and face the Dodgers next week.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

Braves recalled RHP AJ Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Now it’s official. Smith-Shawver will come back up to start for the Braves on Wednesday after he was removed from Triple-A Gwinnett’s probable pitchers earlier today. He’s a splitter-heavy righty with above average velocity who could find success. In his season debut against the Mets, his fastball jumped up two ticks to 97 mph and that velocity held during his two starts back in Triple-A. He’s also mixed in a new sinker against right-handed batters. By slotting in the rotation on Wednesday, he’ll give Chris Sale an extra day of rest.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes that AJ Smith-Shawver is a possibility to start Thursday’s makeup game against the White Sox.

Bowman reports that Herick Hernandez is meant to start for Triple-A Gwinnett tonight now in lieu of Smith-Shawver, which would free him up to be recalled and pitch in the big leagues tomorrow. Rumored to return to the majors since his season debut against the Mets three weeks ago, he has 13 strikeouts, four walks, and allowed two earned runs over 11 innings in two starts since. He’d be moderately interesting if or when he’s formally promoted.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

Braves manager Walt Weiss said AJ Smith-Shawver is close to returning to the majors.

Smith-Shawver has allowed just two runs while recording a 13/4 K/BB ratio across 11 innings in a pair of starts since being sent back to Triple-A Gwinnett in late July. He allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings during his season debut back on July 29. Weiss added that he doesn’t want to move to a six-man rotation, so they’re going to have to make a decision with the rest of their established arms before bringing Smith-Shawver back in the near future. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues based on his prospect pedigree and recent performance.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

AJ Smith-Shawver recorded seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

The Braves are going to have some tough decisions to make in the near future since Smith-Shawver has spent more than 15 days back in the minors since being demoted last month. The 23-year-old former top prospet could make his next start for Atlanta early next week, depending on how they want to construct their rotation for the final six weeks of the season. He’s looked sharp in his return from last year’s Tommy John surgery and is worthy of a speculative stash in deeper mixed leagues.
AJ Smith-Shawver

ATL Starting Pitcher #32

Braves optioned RHP AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Smith-Shawver heads back to the minors after allowing two runs over 4 1/3 innings during his season debut against the Mets in the opening contest of Wednesday’s doubleheader. There was some hope that he would stick around after serving as the club’s 27th man for the twin bill. The 23-year-old former prospect showed some intriguing stuff in his return from last year’s Tommy John surgery, flashing a mid-to-upper 90’s heater with a much harder splitter and slider combination. There’s enough intrigue here that fantasy managers should keep him on their watch lists heading into the final two months. It’s possible he’s brought back to the big leagues to take the ball against the Marlins next week.

Rotoworld

Jefferson Rojas

NYM Shortstop
Player Stats

Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players

Link copied to clipboard!

Jefferson Rojas went 2-for-3 with a double and a homer Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse.

He’s appeared in three games for the Syracuse Mets and homered in each of them. Rojas has been moved around between second, shortstop, and third since being acquired. His short-term future is likely tied to if Bo Bichette opts out of his contract this offseason or not. If Bichette stays, Rojas will likely be trying to push Marcus Semien out at second base. If Bichette goes, Rojas could be part of a spring training competition at third base.
- Rivers McCown

More Jefferson Rojas News
Arjun Nimmala

LAA Shortstop #78
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Arjun Nimmala went 2-for-6 with a double, homer, and RBI last night for Double-A Rocket City.

The Angels top prospect at this point, acquired for Jose Soriano at the trade deadline, has now homered in five straight games. Nimmala is hitting .260/.389/.577 for the Trash Pandas in 27 games. He could probably use some real seasoning at Triple-A next year, but acquiring him has certainly given the Angels a long-term plan if they want to deal Zach Neto at some point this offseason.
- Rivers McCown

More Arjun Nimmala News
Jonathan Bowlan

PHI Relief Pitcher #52
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Jonathan Bowlan (groin) left Thursday’s game against the Mets and will be evaluated on Friday.

Bowlan said he felt his groin tighten on the second-to-last pitch he threw in the eighth inning. He’d given up runs in last five appearances before the injury, so letting him heal up probably isn’t the worst timing in the world for the Phillies as they look to secure their wild card position.
- Rivers McCown

Injury

Source: The Athletic

More Jonathan Bowlan News
Wade Meckler

LAA Left Fielder #53
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Wade Meckler went 2-for-5 and singled in the winning run in the 10th as the Angels edged the Twins 5-4 on Thursday.

Meckler plated Zach Neto after Mike Trout previously singled to tie the game. The 26-year-old Meckler has a nice .294/.370/.381 line through 299 plate appearances, and unless the Angels go on a major spending spree this winter, one imagines he’ll get a chance to remain the team’s left fielder against right-handers to start 2027.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Wade Meckler News
Walbert Ureña

LAA Starting Pitcher #57
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Walbert Ureña shut out the Twins for seven innings, striking out nine, in a no-decision Thursday against the Twins.

Ureña managing to retain mixed-league value pretty much all year long in a situation as bad for pitchers as the one in Anaheim is one of the top accomplishments from any rookie this year. Not even just rookies, really. Ureña departed with a 3-0 lead tonight, but it failed to hold up, keeping him 9-10 with a 2.74 ERA. He’ll probably make just one more start Wednesday against the A’s.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Walbert Ureña News
Ben Joyce

LAA Relief Pitcher #44
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Ben Joyce took a blown save after giving up a two-run homer in the ninth Thursday against the Twins.

Joyce did strike out three of the five batters he faced tonight, but in between were a single and a homer. It’s his third blown save in eight tries, though one of those was because of two unearned runs in extras. He still figures to finish out the year as the Angels’ closer. He might, however, be less likely to keep that role in 2027 with the pending sale of the Angels.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Ben Joyce News
Taj Bradley

MIN Starting Pitcher #26
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Taj Bradley yielded three runs in seven innings Thursday against the Angels.

Bradley was outpitched by Walbert Ureña, but he matched Ureña’s nine strikeouts and walked just one. He’s now just one away from 200 strikeouts for the year. With the Twins essentially done at this point, he’ll probably pitch only once more next week against the Giants.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Taj Bradley News
Yoendrys Gómez

MIN Relief Pitcher #94
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Pitching for a third straight day after blowing his first save Wednesday, Yoendrys Gómez gave up two runs — one earned — in the 10th to take another blown save and a loss Thursday against the Angels.

If the Twins had it to do over again, one imagines they would have stuck with Jeff Hoffman in the 10th after he got one out in the ninth. Instead, they went back to Gómez, who threw 10 pitches Tuesday and 24 on Wednesday. He walked one and gave up a game-tying hit while getting one out before being replaced. Kody Funderburk then surrendered a game-winning single to Wade Meckler. Gómez was 22-for-22 saving games this season prior to Wednesday’s affair. However, he’s now sporting a 7.54 ERA since the beginning of August.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Yoendrys Gómez News
Walker Jenkins

MIN Center Fielder
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Walker Jenkins went 3-for-4 and hit a game-tying two-run homer off Ben Joyce in the ninth inning Thursday against the Angels.

Of course, velocity data doesn’t go back all that far. Still, we’re guessing Jenkins set some sort of record for greatest velocity difference on pitches hit for a player’s first two major league homers. Jenkins’ first came off a 37.4-mph “other” from Tigers infielder Zach McKinstry in an Aug. 31 blowout. Tonight’s, however, saw him turn around a 100.9-mph fastball from one of the game’s hardest throwers. The three-hit game made Jenkins 7-for-49 as a big leaguer.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Walker Jenkins News
Royce Lewis

MIN 1st Baseman #23
Player Stats

Link copied to clipboard!

Royce Lewis went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts against the Angels on Thursday.

It just keeps getting more difficult imagining Lewis in a Twins uniform next year, even though it probably wouldn’t cost more than $4 million to keep him in arbitration. Going 3-for-32 in his last nine games has dropped him down to .226/.290/.381 for the season. That’s a .671 OPS, which is also what he finished at last season. Brooks Lee has overtaken him at third base, and he just hasn’t recently shown the kind of bat to justify a starting job at first.
- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

More Royce Lewis News