The biggest weakness on the Braves’ roster has consistently been their starting rotation. They’ve struggled all season without a reliable fifth starter and have recently dealt with injuries to Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez. Given their limited major league depth in the rotation, they’ve experimented with various top prospects to fill the fifth starter role. Currently, Spencer Schwellenbach has been the most successful of these prospects in the big leagues, but if the Braves lose another starter, they will need to rely on another prospect.
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The next candidate is Atlanta’s top prospect, AJ Smith-Shawver. Smith-Shawver would still be in the majors if not for an injury that cut short his first start of the season. In that debut, he pitched 4.1 scoreless innings before being pulled due to the injury. Since returning to action, the 21-year-old has made four minor league starts, allowing seven hits and six earned runs over 13.1 innings.
Reintegrating the team’s top prospect into the major league roster would be akin to acquiring a new starting pitcher, which the Braves didn’t pursue through trades. Smith-Shawver has as much potential as anyone in the organization.
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