Braves News: A considerably worse injury than initially believed befalls Atlanta’s best prospect….

When Atlanta Braves top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver was placed on the 15-day IL on Friday afternoon, Braves fans thought it would be a quick trip to the injured list. After all, the pitcher had pitched fantastically on Thursday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs and hadn’t been removed for an injury. Some fans even thought it was a phantom IL trip to get Friday’s starter, Ray Kerr, on the active roster.

Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the top prospect’s diagnosis, saying that typically players with this injury miss six to eight weeks. He did note that the Braves do not give timelines for player injuries.

Since Spencer Strider went on the IL at the beginning of April, the Braves haven’t been able to lock down the fifth spot in the rotation. Darius Vines, Allan Winans, and Bryce Elder all made starts, but have failed to hold the spot.

It looked like Smith-Shawver would at least get another shot at the rotation, but now, the Braves likely wouldn’t have him back until at least mid-July.

With their top prospect out for the foreseeable future, the fifth starter spot remains open for the taking. Although the Braves pitching has actually been a strength so far, the team would certainly love stability from the rotation spot. Unfortunately for the team, it won’t be Smith-Shawver.