The Atlanta Braves placed rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver (oblique) on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a strained left oblique muscle and recalled left-hander Ray Kerr from Triple-A Durham in order to start on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith-Shawver must have injured his oblique in his start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in which he threw 4 1/4 scoreless innings. It was the 21-year-old's first start of the 2024 season in the big leagues. Oblique injuries are usually tricky to come back from, so fantasy managers that picked Smith-Shawver up shouldn't be surprised if he's not ready to return in 15 days. And when he is ready to come back, the Braves may choose to send him back to Gwinnett. It's a tough break for the team's top prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver looked good in his season debut on Thursday as he tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. He struck out four batters while walking two. The 21-year-old is the Braves' top prospect and has a legitimate chance at sticking in the team's starting rotation. Despite the impressive outing, Smith-Shawver has struggled at Triple-A Gwinnett this season to the tune of a 6.10 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across eight starts. He tentatively lines up to face the Washington Nationals in his next start and would be a solid streaming option for that contest. Nevertheless, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations a little bit as there are sure to be some growing pains in store.

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his 2024 debut on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The 21-year-old right-hander is the Braves' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he could have a shot to stick around as Atlanta's No. 5 starter if he impresses in the series finale. He's worth a speculative pickup in redraft fantasy leagues for his upside and high-end prospect pedigree, but he also hasn't looked very good in the minors this year, posting a 6.10 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 17 walks and 35 strikeouts in 31 innings over eight starts for Gwinnett. Smith-Shawver made six appearances in his MLB debut in 2023 and had a 4.26 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 20:11 K:BB in 25 1/3 frames. He has an electric pitch mix but is still a work in progress. The young righty will face a Cubs team that ranks 17th in OPS (.691) that has the ninth-most strikeouts in the league.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher prospect AJ Smith-Shawver threw five strong innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday. The lefty allowed no runs on three hits and one walk while striking out five. The 21-year-old now has a 5.09 ERA and 1.36 WHIP on the season with 21 strikeouts in 17 2/3 IP. Ranked as the Braves' top prospect, he'll surely make an appearance in Atlanta this season after making his MLB debut in 2023, starting five games for the Braves while recording a 4.26 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 20:11 K:BB. Fantasy managers should scoop him up once he does get the call as he should be a solid starter on a team that produces plenty of run support.

The Atlanta Braves optioned right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday and reassigned catcher Sebastian Rivero to minor-league camp as well. The Braves now have 39 players in camp. Smith-Shawver isn't going to open the 2024 regular season in Atlanta's bullpen, but there's a good chance he'll be needed at some point this year. The 21-year-old struck out 11 hitters and walked only two in 7 2/3 Grapefruit League innings, but he also had an 8.22 ERA, which sealed his fate to be sent to Triple-A. The 6-foot-3 hurler has impressive stuff and has shown dominance in the minors, so he's a pitcher to watch in mixed leagues once you start jumping on the waiver wire if he is recalled and enters Atlanta's starting rotation.

Atlanta Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver is enjoying himself this spring after a fine outing on Monday versus the Minnesota Twins. The youngster tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball to go along with five strikeouts against just one walk. He allowed just one hit in the outing as part of the Braves' 4-3 loss to the Twins. The 21-year-old made six appearances and five starts with the Braves in the 2023 season, working to a 4.26 ERA in that time. While he struck out just 19% of the hitters he faced in the majors, he also punched out a hefty 27.5% of the hitters he faced in 10 starts at the Triple-A level where he posted a 4.17 ERA. Smith-Shawver is in a battle for a rotation spot with the Braves this spring but his immediate-term fantasy value isn't terribly attractive in redraft leagues.