NEW YORK -- AJ Smith-Shawver experienced the thrill of pitching for the first time in more than a year. Now, he can simply focus on doing whatever he can to help lessen the Braves’ rotation concerns.
Smith-Shawver expressed relief after making a successful return to the Majors in a 3-2 loss to the Mets in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Citi Field. His first big league start in 426 days gave him and the Braves further hope that he can become more of a difference-maker as he further distances himself from Tommy John surgery.
“It’s just a blessing to be able to get back out there and be healthy and just go out there and compete again,” Smith-Shawver said. “It's definitely a check-the-box moment. I was very thankful to go out there and be healthy to go do that again.”
Smith-Shawver was used as the 27th man in this doubleheader that was scheduled when Tuesday night’s game was rained out. Braves manager Walt Weiss was asked if the young pitcher’s next start will be for Atlanta or for Triple-A Gwinnett.
“We’ll talk about that soon,” Weiss said. “That’s an interesting conversation.”
A primary focus of that conversation will be whether Smith-Shawver is ready to compete every five to six days at the big league level. He was brought up to pitch on Wednesday because the postponement set up six games over five days. An additional starter would have been needed at some point during this stretch. So, why not take advantage of the chance to add that starter as the 27th man?
Smith-Shawver allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old hurler allowed the Mets to produce one baserunner in each of the first four innings, none of which advanced past second base. But he didn’t retire any of four batters he faced in New York’s two-run fifth.
“I thought he threw the ball well,” Weiss said. “In the fifth inning, he started to get some stuff up, and that’s why I went and got him. But I thought the ball was coming out really well. I thought there was a lot to be encouraged about.”
Tyrone Taylor walked to begin the bottom of the fifth, advanced to second on a Brett Baty single and scored on Francisco Alvarez’s double. A.J. Ewing’s sacrifice fly ended what was Smith-Shawver’s first start since he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on May 29, 2025. He underwent Tommy John surgery on June 9.
‘I just missed a few pitches by a few inches, and good hitters, they hit mistakes,” Smith-Shawver said. “I was pretty happy with how my stuff felt.”
Smith-Shawver’s four-seam fastball averaged 97.2 mph on Wednesday. This pitch averaged 95.6 mph when he posted a 3.86 ERA in nine starts last year. He induced just two whiffs on 29 swings, but the Mets put just 13 balls in play with an average exit velocity of 92 mph.
As Smith-Shawver’s command becomes more consistent, some of the pitches that resulted in foul balls on Wednesday might result in swings and misses.
Smith-Shawver worked into the fifth inning in just one of his five Minor League rehab starts, none of which consisted of him completing more than 4 1/3 innings. He entered Wednesday's fifth inning having thrown 58 pitches. He threw 72 pitches against Toledo on July 18 and 77 pitches against Iowa on July 23.
Still, many pitchers encounter trouble when they progress to that “next inning” while regaining both physical and mental strength after a long layoff.
“He's still really getting built up, so I think those things happen,” Weiss said. “But I thought he threw the ball really well. There were some really encouraging signs there.”