Braves Dealt Major Pitching Staff Loss on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park, Braves rookie right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver exited the first game of a doubleheader against the Phillies clutching his right elbow after a comebacker struck his ankle and he felt a “pop” while delivering a pitch.

The Atlanta Braves were bit by the injury bug bad in their road series at the Philadelphia Phillies. Not long after AJ Smith-Shawver felt something pop in his elbow, Nick Allen was hit by a pitch on the knuckles.

Smith-Shawver is in the midst of a strong rookie season for the Braves, as he entered Thursday's start with a 3.67 ERA over 41.2 innings pitched. However, if you take out his most recent start last Thursday against the Washington Nationals, in which he allowed seven earned runs in three innings, he would have a 2.33 ERA.

The Braves confirmed Smith-Shawver tore his ulnar collateral ligament and is exploring his surgical options. That likely means the rookie pitcher is out for the rest of the season. Smith-Shawver left early during the first game of the Braves’ doubleheader against the Phillies.

If the injury as is bad as feared, it may require Tommy John surgery, something Strider underwent in April 2024 and only returned from a couple weeks into the season. “It stinks,” Braves catcher Sean Murphy said. “He’s been throwing the ball well.”

The Atlanta Braves came into the season with some huge expectations, but seemingly everything has gone wrong for Atlanta. They've lost multiple players to injuries early in the season while also losing their biggest free agent acquisition,

The Philadelphia Phillies won both games of Thursday's doubleheader vs. the Atlanta Braves without star first baseman Bryce Harper, but they'd be in trouble if he missed extended time. The eight-time All-Star is slashing .

Bryce Harper missed the Phillies' doubleheader vs. the Braves on Thursday, but manager Rob Thomson said he's feeling better.