The 2025 season continues to be a disappointing one for the Atlanta Braves. They cannot seem to find their groove and the injury bug continues to plague them. It's as if the 2024 season never ended.
AJ Smith-Shawver had started to figure things out on the mound, but in the eyes of the Sports Gods, that wasn't allowed to last, apparently. Smith-Shawver was able to get through 2.2 innings on Thursday in Philadelphia, allowing two runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout.
He was hit by a line drive on the heel, but remained in the game to face Trea Turner. However, in that moment, he strangely started shaking his right arm as if something was bothering him. Spencer Strider ended up saying something to Rick Kranitz in the dugout when he noticed, and the Braves' leadership group pulled the youngster from the game.
Atlanta went on to lose Game 1 of their doubleheader 5-4 as the bullpen couldn't keep the Phillies in check.
Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver placed on 15-day IL, RHP Michael Petersen recalled from Triple-A
Smith-Shawver appeared to mouth on the mound that he felt something "pop," but it was unclear at the time if he meant something in his leg or his elbow.
Tragically, Brian Snitker confirmed after the game that he felt the pop in his elbow, and "it doesn't look good."
Smith-Shawver is going back to Atlanta to have his elbow examined. Snit said “it doesn’t look good.” https://t.co/1fm5oQ0OMx
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 29, 2025
Smith-Shawver was placed on the 15-day IL with a strained right elbow. RHP Michael Petersen was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place on the roster.
It's extremely unfortunate for Smith-Shawver, as he's gone through this before. He's often struggled to maintain his footing before an injury derails his opportunity to stick in Atlanta's rotation. We will know the extent of the damage after he is examined further.
The Braves cannot afford any more setbacks like this, but they'll have to hope their minor league depth can help them. More than likely Bryce Elder will take his spot, but we will have to wait and see what the team decides.
This is a massive blow to the Braves because their starting rotation had started to find some consistency. The offense has struggled and Atlanta finds themselves 10.5 games out of first. Smith-Shawver's injury couldn't have come at a worse time. We are wishing him a speedy recovery.