Mound Moves: Smith-Shawver to Tommy John Surgery and Kimbrel to Free Agency
In a couple of significant moves impacting the pitching staff, the Atlanta Braves have announced Tommy John surgery for AJ Smith-Shawver and Craig Kimbrel’s decision to declare free agency. These decisions come at a complicated time for the team, which is looking to recover from a losing streak.
Smith-Shawver, the young right-handed pitcher, underwent reconstructive surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. This intervention will keep him out of action for the remainder of the current season and likely also at the start of the next. The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas.
“It was a full Tommy John, and now the long road of rehabilitation begins,” commented manager Brian Snitker before Monday night’s Braves game in Milwaukee, where the team was looking to break a seven-game losing streak. “Everything went well.”
Brian Snitker
On the other hand, Kimbrel opted for free agency two days after the Braves designated him for assignment. The team had tried to send Kimbrel to their Triple-A affiliate, Gwinnett.
On May 30th, the Braves’ management had already reported on Smith-Shawver’s injury, who suffered a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. The pitcher had to leave a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 22-year-old had achieved a 3-2 record with an ERA of 3.86 in nine starts this season, accumulating 42 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings.
Kimbrel was looking to relaunch his career with Atlanta, where he played his first five seasons in the Major Leagues and was selected for the All-Star Game four consecutive times between 2011 and 2014. With 186 saves, he is the franchise’s all-time leader in this statistic. The 37-year-old pitcher posted a combined 1-1 record with a 2.00 ERA in 18 appearances between Gwinnett and Columbus before being called up to Atlanta last week.“He has a great career ahead of him,” Snitker said. “This is just a small setback. He’s still a very young player. He’ll have a very good career.”
Brian Snitker
However, he only appeared in one game with Atlanta before being designated for assignment, pitching a scoreless inning in the Braves’ 5-4 loss in 10 innings to San Francisco on Friday.
Kimbrel is attempting to revitalize his career after a disappointing 2024 season, where he obtained a 7-5 record with a 5.33 ERA and 23 saves for the Baltimore Orioles, who released him last September.
