Braves could receive some much-needed pitching depth without a trade after all

The Atlanta Braves have gotten more than they could've expected from their starting rotation this season since Spencer Strider, the team's ace, went down after just two starts. Their 3.73 rotation ERA is good for ninth in the majors, which is a very welcome development.

Max Fried, Reynaldo Lopez and Chris Sale have shattered expectations, and Charlie Morton has been mostly steady as well. Their issue has been the back of their rotation, finding anything that sticks without Strider.

Bryce Elder got several chances, but he's proven to not be the guy, Other starters like Darius Vines, Ray Kerr, and Allan Winans have started but faltered. The Braves have turned to Spencer Schwellenbach recently who has had some solid moments, but his 5.68 ERA in six starts is less than inspiring.

The one depth arm who actually produced at the MLB level was AJ Smith-Shawver, who pitched well in his one start before landing on the injured list with an oblique strain. Fortunately, Smith-Shawver appears to be on his way back, which is welcome news for Atlanta.

Braves might receive important depth piece without needing to make a trade

As Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, Smith-Shawver is set to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Rome on Wednesday. This means that their No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline could be back in the majors sometime right before or right after the All-Star break.

Smith-Shawver made his lone MLB start this season in late May against the Chicago Cubs. He delivered 4.1 scoreless innings, striking out four batters in a Braves win. That was arguably the best of the six MLB starts he has made in his brief career, and it gave Braves fans hope that he'd be the solution they were waiting for before he landed on the IL.

The 21-year-old, assuming he pitches well in the minors, can either replace Schwellenbach's spot in the rotation entirely, or give Atlanta a strong sixth option to turn to. The reason they'd want to do that would be to limit the innings thrown by both Sale and Lopez, who are going to blow past innings totals they haven't reached in years.

Smith-Shawver nearing his return means that the Braves won't need to aggressively pursue trades. At least not yet. He should have time to make a couple of MLB starts before they need to decide if they need to acquire another starting pitcher. Since Atlanta certainly needs an outfielder, this is important.