The season from hell continues.
Braves rookie AJ Smith-Shawver is headed back to Atlanta for testing after he felt a “pop” in his throwing elbow during Thursday afternoon’s game against the Phillies.
Smith-Shawver is going back to Atlanta to have his elbow examined. Snit said “it doesn’t look good.” https://t.co/1fm5oQ0OMx
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 29, 2025
The injury is disastrous for a team that already lost Reynaldo Lopez for the season with a serious shoulder injury (or at least most of the season). Smith-Shawver was throwing the ball really well on Thursday before taking a line drive to the leg. He stayed in the game after the comebacker for one batter — for some reason unbeknownst to anyone — and then said he felt a pop in his elbow when the training staff came out four pitches later.
Assuming it is indeed the worst for Smith-Shawver, the promising righty will likely miss the remainder of the season. That is not confirmed at this point, but it’s trending that way. Look for Bryce Elder to be recalled to Atlanta in the coming days to fill the rotation spot.