{"id":60864,"date":"2025-06-11T08:23:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T08:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=60864"},"modified":"2025-06-11T08:23:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T08:23:08","slug":"braves-lose-promising-rookie-to-season-ending-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=60864","title":{"rendered":"Braves Lose Promising Rookie to Season-Ending Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141631_0000.png?w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141631_0000.png?w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141631_0000.png?w=1100&amp;quality=15&amp;strip=all 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141631_0000.png?w=1350&amp;quality=35&amp;strip=all 1350w\" alt=\"Braves Lose Promising Rookie to Season-Ending Injury\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Atlanta Braves can\u2019t catch a break.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery on Monday, ending what had been a promising 2025 season and adding yet another massive dent to Atlanta\u2019s already thinning rotation. It\u2019s the kind of loss that doesn\u2019t just affect the now\u2014it casts a shadow on the Braves\u2019 plans deep into 2026 and maybe beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The procedure, performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, confirmed the worst: a complete reconstruction of Smith-Shawver\u2019s ulnar collateral ligament. The 22-year-old will now embark on the grueling rehab process that typically sidelines pitchers for at least 12 to 14 months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cHe\u2019s got a nice career ahead of him,\u201d manager Brian Snitker told reporters. \u201cThis is just a little setback. Still a very young player. He\u2019ll have a really good career.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That may be true, but in the short term, Smith-Shawver\u2019s absence creates a real problem for a Braves team that\u2019s already walking the tightrope in the NL playoff race. The team has just got back ace Spencer Strider to his own UCL injury, is waiting on Reynaldo L\u00f3pez to return from shoulder surgery, and now must survive without its breakout rookie.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Atlanta\u2019s Pitching Depth Is Wearing Thin<\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5384327\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png 1920w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=150,84 150w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=782,440 782w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=780,439 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=425,239 425w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=660,371 660w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=267,150 267w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250610_141706_0000.png?resize=225,127 225w\" alt=\"Braves Lose Promising Rookie to Season-Ending Injury\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5384327\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5384327\">Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Through nine starts, Smith-Shawver had a 3.86 ERA and had shown flashes of front-line potential. He was cruising through his first seven outings with a 2.33 ERA before things unraveled against the Nationals and Phillies, the latter of which ended with him exiting after just 2 2\/3 innings and reporting he felt a \u201cpop\u201d in his elbow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Braves rotation now consists of Chris Sale, a not-quite-right Spencer Strider, rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, Grant Holmes, and Bryce Elder. It\u2019s a group that lacks a ceiling and, outside of Sale, has little margin for error.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And it only gets more concerning from there. The Triple-A depth isn\u2019t exactly overflowing with options. Davis Daniel and Nathan Wiles are serviceable arms but not exactly playoff-rotation material. Hurston Waldrep, a former first-rounder, has flamed out spectacularly in Gwinnett. Non-roster options like Ian Anderson, Zach Thompson, and Jos\u00e9 Suarez haven\u2019t inspired much confidence either. Suarez is even hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Simply put, the Braves need arms, and they need them fast. Whether that means buying at the deadline or punting on the season depends on how the next few weeks unfold. But if they continue their slide\u2014Monday\u2019s win over the Milwaukee Brewers snapped a seven-game losing streak\u2014Atlanta may have no choice but to be sellers.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Long-Term Ramifications for Smith-Shawver and the Braves<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">For Smith-Shawver, this was a major detour just as he was building momentum. After brief stints in 2023 and 2024, he entered this year with rookie eligibility and was off to a great start: 2.33 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate, and a .209 batting average against through his first 38 2\/3 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Now, he\u2019ll accrue significant league service time and pay while rehabbing, inching closer to arbitration and free agency while not throwing a pitch. Because he spent only 16 days in the minors this year, he also retains his final option year\u2014something the Braves may be thankful for when he\u2019s finally healthy again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Best case? Smith-Shawver returns by mid-2026. Worst case? Atlanta doesn\u2019t get another full season from him until 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Either way, it\u2019s a brutal development for a Braves club that looked like a contender in March but suddenly feels like a team in transition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">And if this is a lost year, Smith-Shawver\u2019s injury might be the moment we all point back to as the tipping point.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Alvin Garcia Alvin Garcia is a Puerto Rican MLB writer for Heavy.com. His work has appeared on FanSided, LWOS, NewsBreak, Athlon Sports, and Yardbarker, with coverage spanning all teams across the league. More about Alvin Garcia<\/p>\n<h2>More Heavy on Braves<\/h2>\n<p>Loading more stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Braves lose AJ Smith-Shawver to Tommy John surgery, further depleting a fragile rotation and casting doubt on Atlanta\u2019s 2025 season hopes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":60866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Braves Lose Promising Rookie to Season-Ending Injury - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=60864\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Braves Lose Promising Rookie to Season-Ending Injury - 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