Pitching Woes Pile Up: Braves Rookie Suffers SAME Injury That Sidelined Strider

Braves Rookie AJ Smith-Shawver Out for Season With Torn UCL Amid Odd Circumstances

Atlanta Braves rookie starter AJ Smith-Shawver will miss the rest of the 2025 season—and potentially part of 2026—after suffering a torn UCL in his throwing elbow, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. The team moved him to the 60-day injured list shortly before the diagnosis was made public.

It’s still unclear whether Smith-Shawver will undergo Tommy John surgery or opt for the newer internal brace procedure, which typically comes with a shorter recovery time. Either option will sideline the 22-year-old until next season at the earliest.

The injury occurred during Thursday’s start against the Phillies. Trouble began when Smith-Shawver took a 96.6 mph line drive off his ankle but stayed in the game. As he faced Trea Turner in the next inning, he began visibly wincing and shaking his arm.

Interestingly, it wasn’t the coaching staff who first noticed—fellow pitcher Spencer Strider, who missed most of 2024 with his own torn UCL, reportedly spotted the issue and flagged it to the dugout. After Turner flied out on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Smith-Shawver told manager Brian Snitker he felt a “pop” in his elbow.

His velocity had already started to dip noticeably during that sequence. His fastball dropped from 95.8 mph against Bryson Stott to as low as 94.2 mph by his final pitch to Turner—clear signs something was off.

Whether the Braves staff should have reacted sooner remains a valid question, but the loss is a big one. Smith-Shawver, ranked the No. 83 prospect by Baseball America entering the year, had quickly become a key part of Atlanta’s rotation and was sitting third in BetMGM’s NL Rookie of the Year odds at the time of the injury.

Now, the Braves will have to hope the promising right-hander can return strong—sometime in 2026