Atlanta called up the 23-year-old right-hander, giving Chris Sale an extra day of rest heading into the next turn through the rotation.
The Atlanta Braves shuffled their pitching plans on Tuesday by recalling right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett and designating reliever Tyler Kinley for assignment.
Smith-Shawver will take the ball for Wednesday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins in a spot that had originally belonged to Chris Sale, giving the 37-year-old ace an extra day of rest as Atlanta enters the final stretch of the regular season.
The Braves sit at 74-51 and lead the NL East by a comfortable margin, and the club is clearly thinking about how to keep its pitching staff fresh for what it hopes will be a long October run.
Smith-Shawver's Road Back
He made an initial start back in late July after a 14-month journey when he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in June 2025 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
The 23-year-old has made the most of his rehabilitation time at Gwinnett since returning to game action earlier this summer.
In five starts at Triple-A, he posted a 1.66 ERA and showed increasingly sharp command with each outing, building his case for a return to the big league roster.
His most recent start on August 11 was the best of that stretch.
Smith-Shawver retired the final 16 batters he faced and finished with 5.1 scoreless innings on one hit and seven strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Manager Walt Weiss had already indicated that a promotion was close.
"He's at the point where he's in play," Weiss said. "So, I'm looking for ways to make that work."
Managing the Rotation
Atlanta has dealt with rotation uncertainty for much of the season.
Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, and Hurston Waldrep have all missed significant time with injuries, leaving the Braves to lean on a core of Sale, Tyler Mahle, Martín Pérez, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes.
Smith-Shawver gives the coaching staff another option heading into September.
Sale has been the anchor of the staff all year, posting a 2.16 ERA and 160 strikeouts through 22 starts while logging his 150th career win earlier this season.
He currently sits 27th on the all-time strikeout list with 2,739, and the decision to push his start back a day reflects the organization's desire to be careful with a pitcher who has carried so much of the workload rather than any injury concern.
Kinley's departure makes room on the roster.
The 35-year-old reliever appeared in 49 games and posted a 4.01 ERA across 42.2 innings this season, serviceable numbers that still made him expendable once Smith-Shawver was ready to come back up.
What Wednesday Means
Smith-Shawver's only other big league appearance this season came as a 27th man during a July 29 doubleheader against the Mets, when he threw 4.1 innings.
Wednesday in Minnesota will be a different challenge, with the full responsibility of a regular start on a team that expects to be playing well into October.
He made his major league debut at just 20 years old in 2023 and carries a career 3.79 ERA in 78.1 innings across 16 starts, a small but encouraging sample that the Braves hope grows over the final six weeks.
