Braves shuffling up the rotation amid critical stretch

The Braves are changing up their rotation, announcing the move to recall AJ Smith-Shawver and designate Tyler Kinley for assignment.

For now, it looks like the club will be going to a six-man rotation. Smith-Shawver will get the start tomorrow, bumping Chris Sale all the way back to Friday, with Grant Holmes remaining in the rotation and scheduled to pitch Thursday.

It’s a lot of shuffling, but the thinking is this: with these moves, it allows Sale to open Atlanta’s series in Milwaukee on Friday and then turn around and close their following series next week against the Dodgers. With the chase for the top two seeds in the National League now full throttle, having Sale pitch twice over that stretch could go a long way in the Braves earning a first-round bye.

The next two days are also very intriguing matchups that carry potential playoff implications. There’s not yet a clear answer about who should start Game 2 in a potential postseason setting. Martin Perez and Bryce Elder have both been reliable throughout the course of the season, but they are soft-tossers that typically experience struggles come October.

Tyler Mahle and AJ Smith-Shawver offer a bit more promise. The former has been lights out since joining the Braves at the trade deadline, allowing just one run with 16 strikeouts over 12 innings in his first two starts. Another strong performance tonight against the Twins would surely give him an upper hand in those conversations as we inch closer to the postseason.

Smith-Shawver could do the same when he toes the rubber on Wednesday. It’s a massive ask to expect a 23-year-old with 16 major-league starts under his belt to help carry the load come October — especially one that missed 14 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But that’s the position the Braves find themselves in coming down the stretch.

Smith-Shawver has the kind of upside nobody else in the rotation outside of Chris Sale can match. If he can show some consistency over the final six weeks, he’ll almost certainly get the nod over guys like Elder and Perez.

That’s the best case scenario for the Braves. A top three of Sale, Smith-Shawver, and Mahle is formidable, especially with an elite bullpen that could also be receiving a boost when Robert Suarez returns.