Braves Pitcher Had Concerning 1-Word Message Before Leaving Phillies Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joshua Valdez | Last updated May 29, 2025 3:41 PM ET

The Atlanta Braves (25-28) were already 9.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies (35-19) for first place in the NL East heading into Thursday's doubleheader, as the latter team has the top record in the NL. Meanwhile, the Braves have underachieved, as they entered Thursday ranked 15th in baseball with a .704 OPS despite having stars like outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

However, their pitching has been slightly better, as they were 12th with a 3.73 ERA. That almost matched right-handed starter AJ Smith Shawver's 3.67 ERA coming into his start on Thursday before he allowed two runs in just 2.2 innings.

Smith-Shawver's ERA is now 3.86 after his injury-shortened appearance. The 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pounder exited the game one batter after his right calf was struck by Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott's line drive, but concern is growing that his injury may also be arm-related.

The right-hander's velocity decreased throughout his final inning (via MLB.com's Mark Bowman), and a new video has surfaced of him saying the word "pop" to his manager and training staff.

#Braves AJ Smith-Shawver left the game today with an injury

You can see it appears he says “pop” when discussing what happened on the mound pic.twitter.com/OPecY7n7Np
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) May 29, 2025

It's unclear what exactly Smith-Shawver was referring to, but the Braves broadcast pointed out that concerning one-word message, and him seemingly wincing after throwing a pitch. As the broadcast also pointed out, Braves manager Brian Snitker immediately removed him after hearing the word "pop."

The Braves took Smith-Shawver in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft. They promoted him to the big leagues for the first time in May 2023, and he had seven career appearances before this season.

UPDATE: A source confirmed that Smith-Shawver felt a pop in his elbow (via Bowman).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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