Unfortunately, Tuesday night’s clash with the Mets has already been postponed, but that does mean we get two games tomorrow between the division rivals, and the Braves are preparing accordingly with a couple of notable roster moves.
First and foremost, AJ Smith-Shawver is expected to make his season debut — the first time he’ll be toeing the rubber for the Braves since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of last year.
Sale will start tomorrow’s second game. The Braves are listing TBA for the first game. It’s The Big Arm AKA AJ Smith-Shawver
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 28, 2026
In terms of the arm, Smith-Shawver looks as strong as ever. He was up to 86 pitches his last time out for Gwinnett, flashing a fastball that can still touch triple digits and a repertoire oozing with strikeout potential. Among the internal candidates returning from injury, Smith-Shawver is the most likely to make a significant impact down the stretch and into the postseason.
Additionally, the Braves announced that Elieser Hernández has rejoined the major-league roster, replacing Connor Thomas.
The #Braves today selected RHP Elieser Hernández to the major league roster after optioning LHP Connor Thomas to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 28, 2026
Thomas had a performance he’d like to delete from his memory on Monday night. He entered a tie game and went on to surrender 11 runs over just 2.2 innings before finally being relieved by Jorge Mateo, who was significantly more effective. I’d imagine it’s a long shot we see him back on the mound for the Braves again.
Hernández is a different story. The last time we saw him on the mound a few days ago, he tossed three scoreless innings and earned his first major-league win since 2022. Unfortunately, because the Braves were so thin on arms, they had to designate him for assignment — but he cleared waivers, and there’s a strong chance we see him pitch at some point on Wednesday.
—
(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)