In his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays, Smith-Shawver had seven strikeouts over five innings. It wasn’t an immaculate performance by any means, but the Braves shouldn’t waste Smith-Shawver’s options for the sake of injury promotions, which is exactly what Alex Anthopoulos and the front office did on Sunday morning.

Atlanta recalled right-handed pitcher Michael Petersen and sent Smith-Shawver back to Gwinnett.

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Braves roster move has fans puzzled about AJ Smith-Shawver

It’s entirely possible that Smith-Shawver’s stint in Gwinnett will be brief, as Spencer Strider will be activated any day now. Smith-Shawver could be recalled alongside him. However, what this does suggest is that the Braves have more confidence in Bryce Elder than they do Smith-Shawver, which isn’t based in reality.

The Braves plan was not to have Elder starting meaningful games this early in the year, but as we’ve seen so far this season, little has gone right in Atlanta. The hope – at least heading into spring training – was that Ian Anderson would take one of the rotation spots, thus making a player like Elder expendable or depth in Gwinnett. Anderson was instead dealt to the Los Angeles Angels.

In two starts this season, Elder has an ERA over seven and gave up five earned runs to the same Rays team Smith-Shawver looked impressive against. I’m sure Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker have their reasons, the least of which should not be age. Yet, doesn’t this send the wrong message to a struggling team early in the season? Even if only for one more start, the Braves ought to keep the better pitcher on the roster.

It’s tough to argue that isn’t Smith-Shawver.

Elder, meanwhile, hasn’t been the same since he made the NL All-Star team in 2023. Heck, even in the second half of that season he struggled, which included a postseason collapse against the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2024, Elder had a 6.52 ERA in 10 starts. As much as Braves fans would like to give Elder the benefit of the doubt, he hasn’t been the same pitcher in over a year. Why should they expect anything different this April?