ATLANTA — As the Atlanta Braves took batting practice Monday evening, AJ Smith-Shawver shagged balls during the entirety of the session underneath the unforgiving Georgia summer sun, something many pitchers don’t do often.As he was coming off the field ahead of his next start, in which he held the Los Angeles Dodgers to three runs in five innings in an eventual 6-5 walk-off win Wednesday night — a performance that signaled he might be ready to shoulder more responsibility come October — Smith-Shawver didn’t hesitate to stop and sign autographs for a group of screaming children, doing so with wide eyes and a smile.It’s small moments like those the 23-year-old learned to relish during his 15-month hiatus from the game after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2025. His time away from the diamond found him in a place of mental solitude though he was consistently surrounded by close friends and family.“I wasn’t just lollygagging for those 15 months,” Smith-Shawver told The Athletic. “So, it’s nice to get some results and get the fruit of the labor that I’ve put in over the last few months. There’s a lot more work to be done and things to adjust.”
Celebration formation! pic.twitter.com/06Onb222la
