Smith-Shawver recalled from Triple-A as Braves temporarily go with 6-man rotation

MINNEAPOLIS -- As the Atlanta Braves navigate the final six weeks of the regular season, help for the pitching staff has arrived from within the organization.

Prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, the Braves recalled right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the active roster, Atlanta designated reliever Tyler Kinley for assignment.

Smith-Shawver, 23, is 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery. His return gives Atlanta another starter for the stretch drive, joining recent Trade Deadline acquisitions Tyler Mahle and Brent Suter on the pitching staff.

As part of his rehab, Smith-Shawver was called upon to make an emergency start for the Braves in the first game of a doubleheader on July 29, but he went back to Gwinnett to build back up to more length.

Now fully healthy and built up through rehab starts, Smith-Shawver will take the ball as Wednesday night's starter in Minneapolis. The move pushes ace Chris Sale's next turn back to Friday, temporarily transitioning Atlanta to a six-man rotation alongside Sale, Bryce Elder, Martín Pérez, Mahle and Grant Holmes.

"He's going to start [Wednesday]," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "A lot of this is based on need and performance, and we re-evaluate virtually every day. ... I feel like AJ is a guy that's going to help us, and if it's in the starting role, that's how we anticipated. But that can always change to something else. It's a talented arm, so I feel like he helps us moving forward."

For Smith-Shawver, his return marks the end of an extensive rehabilitation process. After bursting onto the scene as one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, the young righty had to watch most of the past year from the sidelines.

"Coming back from Tommy John ... it was an end goal for me to get healthy, obviously, and to see if I can’t go out there and help them win," Smith-Shawver said pregame Tuesday. "It’s really nice, the type of season that we’ve had, and it’s been fun to watch these guys. It’s awesome to be a part of it as well."

While building his pitch count in the Minors, Smith-Shawver used the time to refine his mechanics, making tweaks to protect his fastball and get back to game speed. He pointed to his previous Major League experience as a key factor in feeling prepared for Wednesday.

"I’ve always known I can do it in my own head," Smith-Shawver noted regarding pitching at the Major League level. "It’s just going out there and getting the job done and trying to be as consistent as possible ... Whatever they want -- they tell me where, when -- and I’ll take the ball and give them as many outs as I can."

Weiss praised the young starter's resilience in working his way back to the Majors following a major injury.

"You know how much I value pitching and starting pitching," Weiss said. "AJ is another one who's had to fight his way back from a TJ, and that’s a long road. ... I’m excited to watch him pitch. He looked really good on his rehab starts, he's built up now, so he's ready to go."

While the temporary six-man rotation gives extra rest to starters like Sale and Elder -- who has been managing a minor right knee issue -- Weiss cautioned that the setup is a short-term luxury due to the tax it places on the bullpen.

"This is where we are right now," Weiss said. "I do like the fact that it gives guys an extra day to the other starters... but you’ve got to pay the piper in the 'pen, right? Because you’re a man short there, and that's just not sustainable for very long. ... You're really shorthanded at that point. But I think the bottom line is AJ's a very talented arm. I think he helps us."

The roster crunch made designating Kinley a tough decision for clubhouse leadership. Being primarily a one-inning reliever, keeping Kinley in a shorthanded bullpen proved difficult.

"Extremely difficult," Weiss admitted regarding Kinley's departure. "Obviously, [Kinley's] one of the most highly respected guys on our team in that clubhouse. He’s a heart-and-soul guy, a glue guy. This is a difficult part of this job and this business. ... It's just Tyler being primarily a one-inning guy, especially in a shorthanded bullpen, it just makes it difficult. That’s the flip side of this -- the feel-good part of AJ getting back, and on the other side having to lose a guy like Tyler Kinley, who's been a really good pitcher for us and certainly a leader."

With Smith-Shawver set to step onto the rubber Wednesday, the Braves add a fresh power arm to the mix as they begin the final stretch of the regular season.