AJ Smith-Shawver’s return has been a slow climb for the Atlanta Braves, and the biggest issue may be one pitch that simply hasn’t played. After missing time with an elbow injury and then undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2025 to repair his UCL, the right-hander made it back to the mound almost a year later with a spot start against the Mets at the end of July.
That first outing was a decent step in the right direction, especially given how long he’d been away. But since then, the results have gone sideways.
In his three starts after being sent back down and then recalled, Smith-Shawver has posted a 7.13 ERA across 17.2 innings, allowing 20 hits and 11 walks while striking out 15. He has also given up three or more runs in each of those starts and averaged three walks per outing.
A big reason for the trouble has been the lack of swing-and-miss stuff. Smith-Shawver added a sinker this season, but hitters have handled it with ease. Opponents are batting .750 against the pitch with a 1.250 slugging percentage, and he has thrown it only 24 times.
His main weapons have been the four-seam fastball and splitter, while the sinker is joined by a slider and curveball that have also each been used 24 times this season. The curve has held up reasonably well, but the slider has been a major problem. Hitters are batting .600 against it with a 1.200 slugging percentage, and Smith-Shawver’s 14% whiff rate on the pitch just hasn’t been enough.
For Atlanta, the message is pretty clear: this isn’t sustainable if he’s going to stick in the rotation. The Braves need Smith-Shawver to sharpen the sinker and slider, because getting more whiffs out of those pitches could go a long way toward turning his comeback into something more stable. Without that adjustment, his spot may not hold for long.
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