PITTSBURGH – Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver has a Grade 2 left oblique strain. On Friday, he underwent an MRI that revealed the injury.
The Braves don’t give timelines on injured players, but the typical recovery time for this injury is six to eight weeks.
Smith-Shawver told the Braves he felt the left oblique ailment in the third inning of his start. He didn’t alert the team until after he finished pitching.
This is, of course, a tough blow for Smith-Shawver, who pitched well and looked more seasoned than a year ago. But this is difficult news for the Braves, whose pitching depth took a hit.
“I hate it. I hate it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after Friday’s loss to the Pirates. “I am, I guess, a little amazed that he even pitched through what he did, as effectively as he did, (Thursday). I just hate the setback for him, when it was going so good and he’s making strides and learning and just maturing as a pitcher, and now have to – I don’t know how long that’ll be. Those things, you never know, as we see with hitters and everybody else. It’s a time-consuming thing that they gotta check all the boxes, and I hate it for him, hate it for us, with this young man, the promise and the upside of him.”
On Thursday, Smith-Shawver threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings at Wrigley Field in what could be considered a successful season debut in the big leagues for 2024.
On Friday, the Braves placed him on the 15-day injured list.
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