Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver has a torn UCL in his pitching elbow and will miss the rest of the season and likely the start of 2026. Smith-Shawver left Thursday’s 5–4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in a doubleheader opener and said he felt a “pop.

The Atlanta Braves continue to deal with issues to important parts of their starting rotation, though the depth has kept them afloat to this point. The latest casualty is AJ Smith-Shawver, who left his Thursday afternoon start early due to what manager Brian Snitker described as a "pop" in his elbow.

The Braves returned AJ Smith-Shawver to Atlanta so that he could get an MRI and as it turned out, the MRI confirmed everybody’s worst fears. Mark Bowman of MLB.com is reporting that AJ Smith-Shawver does indeed have a torn UCL in his throwing arm and it’s very likely that we’re not going to see AJSS on the mound for the Braves until this time in 2026.