Braves Facing Decision After AJ Smith-Shawver Update

The Atlanta Braves announced great news surrounding right-handed pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver on Thursday before their series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A big decision could be coming up for the team in the second half of the 2026 season.

The Braves have been without Smith-Shawver for the entire year, as he is currently on the 60-day injured list following Tommy John Surgery on his throwing elbow.

The 23-year-old has slowly been working his way back to the major leagues and is progressing well.

Smith-Shawver was sent on a minor league rehab assignment with the High-A Augusta GreenJackets on June 30. Over the course of two starts, he pitched seven innings to a 1.29 ERA with nine strikeouts.

Following these two impressive outings, the Braves announced that Smith-Shawver's rehab assignment has been transferred to Triple-A Gwinnett; he will start on Saturday.

AJ Smith-Shawver will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 9, 2026

The Braves will have to make the decision of if Smith-Shawver will be slotted into a starting pitching rotation spot when he is back up with the big league team.

While Smith-Shawver has been great on the mound of the Braves, pitching to a 3.86 ERA in 44 1/3 innings in 2025, the injury concern may keep him out of the rotation.

Putting Smith-Shawver in the bullpen may be a good idea, as he could adjust to big league hitters while keeping a low pitch count.

However, the Braves pitching, as well as their whole team, is dealing with the injury bug.

Along with Smith-Shawver, Braves' starting pitchers Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are also on the shelf. So it could also make sense for the Braves to slot him in as they are currently light on pitching.

It will surely be an interesting decision as the Braves continue fighting to keep first place in the National League East Division.

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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 11:15 AM.