Braves make surprising roster move, AJ Smith-Shawver recalled

The surprising part obviously has nothing to do with AJ Smith-Shawver. He looked pretty good in his first major-league start a few weeks ago and has been absolutely on fire for the Gwinnett Stripers, recording a 1.66 ERA and striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings over five starts. He was always going to be recalled. It was just a matter of when, and how the Braves would choose to use him.

For now, it’ll be as a starting pitcher, as he’s slated to toe the rubber tomorrow against the Twins.

Smith-Shawver is Atlanta’s best hope of finding a true No. 2 to pitch behind Chris Sale. He has upside few other arms on the roster could even dream of, but it’s a hefty ask to expect him to step up and be that guy after missing 14 months following Tommy John surgery.

The surprising aspect is the Braves choosing to part ways with Tyler Kinley. The veteran right-hander wasn’t having a fantastic season — a 4.01 ERA over 49 games — but he’d recorded a 1.29 ERA over his last eight appearances, including 0.2 scoreless innings last night.

The move seems to indicate the Braves will be doing one of two things: rolling with a six-man rotation, or moving one of their starters into a relief role. Perhaps Smith-Shawver pitches out of the bullpen down the stretch if he struggles to acclimate as a starter. Grant Holmes is another rotation piece who could make a natural switch back to relief, where he’s had a lot of success during his time with the Braves.