Braves: AJ Smith-Shawver takes the next step towards returning

According to Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal Constitution, AJ Smith-Shawver will begin his rehab assignment this Thursday.

“The Braves’ right-handed pitcher is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Thursday at the team’s spring training facility,” Bishop wrote. “Smith-Shawver will pitch two innings of a simulated game and throw between 35 to 40 pitches.”

This news really could not come at a better time. The Braves rotation, while they wholly overachieved over the first two months, has completely unraveled in June. Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes have severely regressed. Spencer Strider is likely out for the season after suffering yet another elbow injury, and JR Ritchie doesn’t look quite ready for the majors yet. This team desperately needs an influx of talent when it comes to their starting pitchers, and the hope is that Hurston Waldrep along with Smith-Shawver can alleviate at least some of the concerns.

Waldrep is already up to 71 pitches. His next time out he’ll likely aim for 80-85 pitches. At that point, the Braves might decide to call him up. Hell, they could do it right now if they think Waldrep could effectively get guys out with the way the rest of the rotation has performed.

Smith-Shawver is a few weeks behind Waldrep, and I would expect him to take a similar route as he works his way back. He’ll throw around 40 pitches this week, then work his way up to around 50 next week, followed by 60-70 and so on. Within the next month, it’s possible the Braves rotation features both Waldrep and Smith-Shawver.

That’s exciting given their upside, but it’s important to temper expectations. These are still young, relatively unproven arms that are working their way back from major injuries. Anything they can provide the club should be viewed as a bonus, even if the Braves desperately need at least one of them to step up and become an impact starter.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)