AJ

Smith-Shawver

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.

The game will be made up Thursday as part of a split doubleheader. Zack Wheeler and AJ Smith-Shawver was the scheduled pitching matchup for Wednesday’s tilt, and both will likely start one of the two games Thursday; though not necessarily against each other.

The right-hander also issued three walks on the evening while recording only one strikeout. The Nationals got to him early and often in this one, scratching out a run in the first inning and adding four more in the second, the final three of those on a bases-clearing double by James Wood. After a scoreless third inning, Smith-Shawver returned for the fourth where he issued a leadoff walk and then was pulled in the middle of an at-bat against James Wood as he couldn’t find his command. Even with this disaster though, the 22-year-old hurler sports a respectable 3.67 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and a 41/20 K/BB ratio over 41 2/3 innings through his first eight starts. He’ll try to bounce back as he battles the Phillies in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

It’ll be made up as a split doubleheader on September 16. Wednesday’s original starting pitchers — AJ Smith-Shawver and Trevor Williams — will presumably be pushed back to take the ball during Thursday’s series finale.