Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver: Fans five against Twins

Smith-Shawver struck out five batters over 2.2 scoreless innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, allowing just one hit and one walk.

Facing most of Minnesota's likely Opening Day lineup, Smith-Shawver fired 32 of 48 pitches for strikes in a dominant outing that saw him count Carlos Correa and Carlos Santana among his strikeout victims. The 21-year-old righty is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, but after making his big-league debut in 2023, it may not be much longer before he's pushing his way into the Atlanta rotation for good. Through 4.2 innings this spring, Smith-Shawver has an 8:2 K:BB.