Atlanta Braves Pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver Exits With Apparent Leg Injury

Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver exited after taking a 96 MPH comebacker to the leg, casting doubt on his short-term fantasy baseball outlook despite a promising start to the season.

Atlanta Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver (32) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

If Braves fans were hoping for a second-half comeback to ignite their season, they got one today—but not the kind they wanted.

Highly touted pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver was forced to exit Game 1 of Atlanta’s doubleheader against the Phillies after taking a 96 MPH line drive off the bat of Bryson Stott squarely off his lower leg. The comebacker struck Smith-Shawver’s foot or shin area, and while he impressively stayed in the game to retire Trea Turner on a flyout, he was pulled before completing the third inning. After allowing a two-run homer to Rafael Marchán, his final line was: 2.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, and 1 K after retiring the first seven batters he faced.

Smith-Shawver exits one batter after his right calf was struck by Stott's liner pic.twitter.com/lWzZchWvaO

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 29, 2025

Atlanta is expected to take a cautious approach with their 21-year-old righty, who had been ramping up nicely through the early part of the season. While there’s no word yet on the severity of the injury, the Braves will likely wait for imaging results before clearing him to return to the mound. He should be considered day-to-day.

The good news? The Braves have some insurance. Southpaw Dylan Dodd was promoted earlier in the day and could temporarily slot in if needed. The team also boasts a rich pipeline of arms, including top prospect JR Ritchie, giving them some flexibility if Smith-Shawver misses time.

Fantasy baseball managers should keep a close eye on updates over the next few days. Smith-Shawver had been putting together a solid campaign with a 3-2 record, 3.67 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts over 41.2 innings. Despite some much-needed improvements to his command, he was starting to find his groove, and if the injury proves minor, he remains a valuable streaming option with upside. But until we know more, consider safer alternatives when setting next week’s lineups.

Stay tuned—because as we know in fantasy baseball, everything can change in one pitch.