Braves News: AJ Smith-Shawver promoted to big leagues, Braves lose in walk-off fashion, more

The Atlanta Braves made an unexpected move on Tuesday by selecting the contract of top pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver. In a corresponding move, the club designated lefty Lucas Luetge for assignment.

Twenty-year-old Smith-Shawver has had a quick trip to the major leagues. He was initially assigned to the Rome Braves on April 6 of this year. He made three starts in Rome, logging 14 scoreless innings and holding opponents to a .125 batting average.

Then, on May 2, he was promoted to Double-A Mississippi, where he made two appearances, tossing seven frames.

On May 16, he was promoted yet again and assigned to the Gwinnett Stripers. Smith-Shawver made two starts, logged twelve innings, and allowed four runs.

Now, he joins the Braves’ 40-man roster and is expected to initially work out of the bullpen.

“We’re going to pitch him out of there for a while, kind of like we did with Spencer Strider last year,” Brian Snitker said following the move. “Try and get him multiple innings when we can. I think his future’s going to be starting, but this is a way to kind of break him in.”

“He’s gotten results,” Snitker added. “His stuff’s been really good, reports have been really good and all that. As we’ve seen, skills and stuff play up here.”

Smith-Shawver is set to be the youngest Brave to pitch in a big league game since Julio Teheran in 2011.

More Braves News:

Despite an impressive 7.1 innings from Bryce Elder, the Braves fell to the A’s 2-1 in walk-off fashion, losing the series.

The Daily Hammer Podcast recaps Michael Soroka’s return and the Braves-A’s series opener loss.

MLB News:

The New York Yankees placed center fielder Harrison Bader on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Bader is expected to miss at least a few weeks, per report.

The San Francisco Giants are reinstating RHP Luke Jackson from the injured list. The former Brave will make his first appearance since 2021 after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Milwaukee Brewers placed outfielder Jesse Winker on the 10-day injured list with a neck strain. The move is retroactive to May 28. Abraham Toro has been recalled in a corresponding move.

The Detroit Tigers have acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick from the Chicago White Sox. Newly-acquired Marisnick will join the Tigers roster on Wednesday.

The Baltimore Orioles have placed outfielder Cedric Mullins on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain. The club has also signed former New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks to a major league deal.