AJ Smith-Shawver is on the doorstep of his rehab assignment, and the Braves are finally getting a clearer look at one of the arms they’ve been waiting on for more than a year.
The right-hander will officially start his rehab stint Tuesday night with Single-A Augusta, the club announced Tuesday morning. His first outing is scheduled for a 7:05 p.m. EDT start against the Salem RidgeYaks.
Smith-Shawver hasn’t appeared in a game since May 29, and it’s been nearly 13 months since he had Tommy John surgery last June. Before the injury, he looked like he might be putting together a breakout run: a 3.86 ERA across nine appearances, with 42 strikeouts, 21 walks and four home runs allowed in 44 1/3 innings.
Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos had already hinted this was coming in an interview with BravesVision last week, and he said the work Smith-Shawver did in Florida looked encouraging.
“He was throwing the ball really well in Florida. He looked good,” Anthopoulos said.
“ ... Obviously it’s a max 30-day rehab assignment.
We don’t necessarily always go all that way. We’ll see how he looks and he’ll build up.”
That matters for a Braves rotation that could use every healthy arm it can find right now. Spencer Strider remains out for the foreseeable future, and Bryce Elder has come back down to earth. Atlanta is suddenly holding a 3.5-game lead in the division, so the need for depth is obvious.
Hurston Waldrep’s return over the weekend was Step 1. Smith-Shawver now looks like Step 2. And Spencer Schwellenbach, who is heading to Florida soon for a possible August or September return per MLB.com, appears to be Step 3.
That still leaves one more question hanging over the next month: whether the Braves add another starter before the deadline.
“Look, it’s going to be one of those things where we’ll take the five best guys, the guys that are hot,” Anthopoulos said.
In Other News...
Braves Just Got An Update That Changes Spencer Schwellenbachs Stakes
Spencer Schwellenbachs rehab from elbow surgery has moved into a more encouraging phase, with the Braves prospect continuing to progress and a trip to Florida potentially coming within the next couple of weeks to ramp things up. For Atlanta, it matters because Schwellenbach is part of a broader cluster of young arms trying to work back from elbow issues, and the organization is watching every step closely as it sorts out who might still have a chance to help before the season runs out.
The timing now gives Schwellenbach a real late-season target if everything keeps moving in the right direction, with a possible return to pitching in late August or early September. He is still behind Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver in the comeback pipeline, which is why the next phase is so important for him and the Braves. The only thing left to learn is whether his recovery keeps trending cleanly enough to let that window stay open. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Reached Their Breaking Point With Ha-Seong Kim
Ha-Seong Kims first season in Atlanta has already taken a turn the Braves could not have envisioned when they claimed him off waivers on Sept. 1 and then brought him back on a one-year, $20 million deal after he declined his $16 million option for 2026. The move made sense on paper. Kim had been limited with Tampa Bay while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, then showed enough after arriving in Atlanta to convince the club he could be part of the infield picture going forward.
The problem is the return visit has not gone smoothly, and the offensive impact has been far lighter than the Braves needed. Kim has spent time out with injury and, since coming back, has not given the lineup much to work with, leaving Atlanta to keep sorting out its shortstop mix with other options already in the conversation. What looked like a sensible late-season addition has become one more tricky decision for a team trying to settle its roster heading into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Another Young Arm Worth Believing In
Braxton Fuentes has become one of those young arms the Braves can point to as a quiet bullpen success story. The 21-year-old began the year with starter development still in mind, but his path quickly shifted into relief work, and he has settled in with a 2.59 ERA, 36 strikeouts and at least 25 appearances while helping steady Atlantas middle innings.
For a club still thinking long term, the more interesting part is what comes next. Fuentes already has the kind of fastball-slider combination that can play right away, and the Braves still want to see whether he can grow into a third pitch and eventually move back toward starting. That possibility makes his progress worth tracking, especially after the rough first look he got in the majors last year. [Read more 🡒]