Smith-Shawver nears return, while Schwellenbach's road back looks longer

ATLANTA -- AJ Smith-Shawver could return to the Majors at some point next week. But the likelihood of Spencer Schwellenbach joining the Braves this year continues to diminish.

Before Wednesday’s series finale against the Mets, Braves manager Walt Weiss talked about these two starting pitchers, and he also said top setup man Robert Suarez has been cleared to begin a throwing program.

Smith-Shawver
The hard-throwing right-hander recorded seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday night. He has allowed just two earned runs while totaling 19 1/3 innings over his past four starts in Triple-A.

“I think it's safe to say he's going to be someone here in the near future that's going to help us,” Weiss said. “I think he's a guy that can move the needle for us, just with his talent and his arm. So we'll just have to decide what that looks like when it happens. But he's certainly on the cusp of coming back to us here sometime soon.”

Though Weiss didn’t specify when Smith-Shawver could return, his words created reason to think the 23-year-old hurler could make his next start at the Major League level, possibly during next week’s series in Minnesota.

Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2025. He was called upon to make an emergency start during the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets on July 29. He showed some signs of rust. But he also looked like a potential playoff starter while throwing his splitter and a four-seam fastball that averaged 97.2 mph.

Weiss doesn’t want to go with a six-man rotation for more than one turn. So, who could lose their rotation spot? Grant Holmes seems like a good fit for the bullpen. But he has thrown six scoreless innings in both of the starts he’s made this month.

Suarez
The right-handed reliever hasn’t pitched since June 19 after being diagnosed with right forearm inflammation, and he was shut down after he was cleared to begin throwing after the All-Star break. Once he resumes playing catch this week, he’ll get a better feel for how his forearm and elbow react.

“It's a big leap from starting a throwing progression to trying to get outs in Major League games,” Weiss said. “But this is a good thing. The fact is he’s moving forward. He’s going to start throwing the baseball, and we’ll see how that goes.”

Schwellenbach
Thoughts of this right-hander pitching this year have gradually become more pessimistic over the past month. He is still feeling some discomfort when he throws his bullpen sessions, and he hasn’t been cleared to even face live hitters yet.

Schwellenbach missed the final three months of 2025 with a fractured right elbow. His situation became more complicated in February when he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from the same elbow.

“He’s still working through some things with his arm,” Weiss said. “So it's been an uneven road back.”