Braves’ Best Prospect Is Considered a Possible Replacement for Spencer Strider.

A number of the Atlanta Braves’ starting pitcher prospects are now at AAA Gwinnett, waiting to be called up to the major leagues.

There are some fairly serious injuries that the Atlanta Braves are currently dealing with.
The first one included starting catcher Sean Murphy, an All-Star in 2023 and a past Gold Glove winner, who injured his oblique in Atlanta’s opening game of the season and is now taking his time recovering. Furthermore, starting second baseman Ozzie Albies, who was struck by a pitch during Monday night’s triumph and landed on the injured list prior to Wednesday’s season finale against the Houston Astros, only recently joined the team.

Additionally, MLB.com believes that prospect righthander AJ Smith-Shawver, who is presently pitching in Triple-A Gwinnett, might potentially fill in for Spencer Strider’s innings.

Smith-Shawver was mentioned by MLB Pipeline’s three analysts in an article titled “impact call-up candidates” as a possible answer to the Braves’ need for quality innings in October and during the regular season.

Smith-Shawver made it apparent that he would be prepared to contribute more significantly at some point this season after making his way from High-A to the major leagues via pitching last season. His first two starts of the season were disasters, but on Wednesday in start number three, he topped out at 99 mph and gave up just one run over 4 2/3 innings. The Braves will need assistance now that Spencer Strider is out for the season, and it won’t be long until Smith-Shawver has another opportunity to work in the major leagues.

Smith-Shawver is aiming for a pitch count of about 65 in AAA Gwinnett. Since he threw only 87.1 innings in the regular season the previous year, it is not advisable to project him for more than about 130 innings in 2024. Atlanta is doing this to make sure he has enough innings left in his tally when he is needed in the majors.

However, as the article noted, Smith-Shawver utilized those sixty-five pitches well in Gwinnett on Wednesday, pitching through nearly five complete innings while giving up just one run on two hits and a walk.

Smith-Shawver will definitely get the chance to not only pitch at the major league level but also possibly be one of the three or four arms that the Braves choose to start in the postseason in October. This is because several members of Atlanta’s rotation need to have their innings managed. Reynaldo López, who switched from relief to starting, hasn’t thrown more than seventy innings in a single season since 2019, and veterans Chris Sale (35) and Charlie Morton (40) have the added concerns of age and prior injury history.