The Braves are finally getting some movement on the injury front, even if the reinforcements are still a little ways off. AJ Smith-Shawver has started a rehab assignment, Spencer Schwellenbach is nearing the point where he can ramp things up again, and Ronald Acuña Jr. doesn’t look like he’s coming back until after the All-Star break.
Smith-Shawver’s road back has been a long one since Tommy John surgery, and Atlanta took the next step on Tuesday by sending him out on a rehab assignment with Single-A Augusta. The club also updated Danny Young’s rehab path, moving his assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett.
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver tonight begins a rehabilitation assignment with Single-A Augusta. LHP Danny Young’s rehab assignment has been transferred to Triple-A Gwinnett.
- Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 30, 2026
Because he’s coming back from major elbow surgery, Smith-Shawver is expected to need at least a month of rehab work before he’s anywhere near ready to see major league hitters again. The Braves aren’t going to rush that process, especially with the kind of rotation help he could provide down the line.
Schwellenbach, meanwhile, may be getting close to his own reset. According to Braves insider Mark Bowman, the right-hander is likely headed to Florida within the next week or two to begin building back up. Bowman noted that if you treat that stage like the beginning of Spring Training, Schwellenbach could be in line to start in late August or early September.
Schwellenbach will likely head to Florida within the next week or two. If you look at that like it’s the start of Spring Training, he could become a candidate to start in late August or early September https://t.co/s0JaVp4fXg
- Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 29, 2026
That timeline obviously depends on everything going smoothly, but it at least gives Atlanta a possible window for getting another key arm back.
Acuña’s situation remains the one the Braves are watching most closely. He landed on the injured list June 10 with his second hamstring injury of the season, and while the strain was only Grade 1, Atlanta doesn’t seem interested in taking any risks. He’s been out for about two and a half weeks, and the team does not expect him back until after the All-Star break.
Given the fact that Acuña has already been sidelined twice, that cautious approach makes sense. The Braves would rather let him heal completely than push for a quicker return and risk another stint on the injured list.
In Other News...
Braves June Collapse Turned Historically Embarrassing For One Lineup Regular
June was brutal enough for the Braves as a team, but it also left one lineup regular attached to an especially ugly bit of franchise history. Atlanta finished the month with the fewest runs scored in the majors, and the offensive drought spread far beyond one slump or one cold stretch. Most of the everyday bats were stuck below league average, with only Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubn clearing a wRC+ of 100, a reminder of how little sustained production the club got from the middle and bottom of the order.
Ha-Seong Kims month stood out for all the wrong reasons, and he was far from alone on the wrong side of the ledger. Drake Baldwin and Jorge Mateo also landed among the franchises worst June OPS marks, adding to a month that already felt like a collapse and now reads like one in the record book. For a team that watched a 9.5-game lead shrink to 2.5 games over a 17-game span, the bigger concern is not just how bad June was, but whether any of these hitters can quickly climb out of the hole they helped create. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Prospect Update Brings Needed Hope For A Thin Pitching Pipeline
Baseball Americas in-season refresh of Atlantas Top 30 prospect list offered a useful reminder that even a thin pitching pipeline can still produce some legitimate arms to track. The update added fresh scouting context on Drue Hackenberg, Carter Holton and Patrick Clohisy, giving a clearer picture of where each stands and why the Braves still have some developmental hope tucked into an otherwise uneasy system.
Hackenbergs year has been shaped by an oblique issue that slowed his 2026 start, but the current view is more encouraging after he returned looking closer to his 2024 form. Holtons path is less straightforward, with the Braves continuing to develop him as a starter while weighing how his frame and delivery may ultimately fit, and Clohisys athleticism and versatility keep him in the conversation after a steady offensive showing across the upper levels. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Are Reaching A Frustrating Ha-Seong Kim Breaking Point
Ha-Seong Kims season has become one of the most stubborn problems on the Braves roster, and the offense has not been able to hide it. Through his first 71 at-bats, he has just five hits and has spent long stretches looking out of rhythm at the plate, even as manager Walt Weiss has kept giving him chances to work through it. For a club trying to stabilize the lineup, the shortstop spot has become a daily reminder that patience only lasts so long.
Braves management and observers around the team are now sounding more uneasy about how much longer they can keep waiting for a turnaround. The concern is no longer just about a cold streak, but whether Atlanta may soon have to reconsider Kims role at shortstop if the production does not change, and the next stretch could go a long way toward determining whether the team keeps leaning on him or starts looking for another answer. [Read more 🡒]