Braves give top prospect a chance to win rotation spot

The Atlanta Braves don't have a fifth starter after sending Bryce Elder down to the minors. AJ Smith-Shawver is hoping to take his place.

The No. 1 prospect in the Braves system will get his first chance to start in 2024 on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs.

It's a show of confidence in Smith-Shawver as well as a sign of the Braves' desperation. Having lost Spencer Strider for the season and getting less-than-stellar results from Elder, Brian Snitker had limited options to fill the gap in his rotation. While Smith-Shawver has been confirmed to start on Thursday, it's still unclear who will toe the rubber on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

AJ Smith-Shawver can make his case to be in the Braves rotation

The last time Smith-Shawver saw major league action was against the Cubs last September. He went 3.2 innings with no hits and one earned run allowed on a walk.

The hard-throwing righty made his debut last June. After an appearance out of the bullpen, he got a run of three starts. He notched his first win over the Rockies but struggled in his next outing against the Reds, giving up five runs in 3.1 innings. He'd go on to make two more starts in July and September. His performance in 2023 was promising and gave the Braves hope for his future. It just wasn't certain how soon that future would come.

A solid showing would give Snitker reason to keep utilizing Smith-Shawver, especially in the middle of a 16-day stretch of games without an off day.

The concern with starting Smith-Shawver now comes from his Triple-A performance so far this year. He has a 6.10 ERA and 1.516 WHIP in eight starts for Gwinnett. He's not going to turn up at Truist Park at his most confident.

On Thursday, the Cubs will turn to their own youngster in Ben Brown. The 24-year-old has started four games this year while appearing in 11. He has an ERA of 3.57 and a WHIP of 1.245.