AJ

Smith-Shawver

Smirh-Shawver has progressed to throwing high-intensity bullpen sessions and should be ready to face hitters at some point soon. The 23-year-old has been working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He’ll need a handful of rehab starts before he’s ready to return to Atlanta’s rotation, most likely after next month’s All-Star break.

It’s a significant milestone as Smith-Shawver continues working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old former top pitching prospect figures to be ready to rejoin Atlanta’s rotation mix at some point in the second half, barring any setbacks.

It’s merely a procedural move as Smith-Shawver is still in the early phase of his recovery from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old top prospect is likely to miss most of, if not all, of the 2026 campaign.

This was always the expectation, but now it’s official. Smith-Shawver might be able to return down the stretch next season, but his rehab would have to go swimmingly.

The latter option is a less-invasive surgical procedure and typically results in a much faster return to pitching as opposed to a full reconstructive operation. The 22-year-old top pitching prospect was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow last week and is likely to be sidelined until the second half of the 2026 season, even if it winds up being an internal brace procedure.

We already knew that the news wasn’t going to be good when Smith-Shawver was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Friday and now we get the unfortunate diagnosis. It has yet to be determined whether the 22-year-old hurler will undergo the traditional Tommy John reconstructive surgery or whether he’ll get the internal brace procedure which could speed up his recovery timeline a bit. Either way, he’ll miss the remainder of the 2025 season and a large chunk of the 2026 season as well while recovering.

The Braves haven’t updated Smith-Shawver’s status yet, but it’s obviously not good that the team is already putting him on the 60-day IL one day after he got hurt. He’ll be eligible to return at the end of July.

Smith-Shawver felt a “pop” in his right elbow during the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Phillies and it’s certainly discouraging to see him already land on the injured list before the nightcap. He’s still being evaluated so there’s no word yet on what the actual injury is or how long he’ll be sidelined for — it’ll be a couple of weeks at an absolute minimum though. Michael Petersen was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.

Smith-Shawver’s exit appeared to be due to him being hit by a comebacker, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. The right-hander will need to undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury, but this is obviously a much more serious issue than a potential foot injury.

Smith-Shawver initially stayed in the game, but he faced just one batter before being pulled. The 22-year-old was hit in the foot area by a 96 mph liner from Bryson Stott. Smith-Shawver will assuredly undergo testing/imaging to determine the next steps.