51 Will Smith RP

Smith (1-0) gave up a game-tying solo home run to Monte Harrison in the eighth inning Saturday but wound up with the win as Atlanta came away with a 2-1 victory over the Marlins.

In just his third appearance of the season, Smith blew his first save in an Atlanta uniform, but he was still the pitcher of record when Adam Duvall answered with a blast of his own in the ninth. With Mark Melancon pitching well so far, look for Smith to continue working in a setup capacity rather than sharing in the save chances for his new team.

The Braves activated Smith from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

Scott Schebler was designated for assignment to clear room for Smith on the 40- and 28-man rosters. The Braves weren't expected to activate Smith from the injured list until the weekend, but he was brought back a day early with Atlanta needing to trim down its active roster from 30 men. When he signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Braves in the offseason, Smith was viewed as a potential candidate to close, but he'll most likely have to settle for a setup role in front of Mark Melancon after missing most of summer camp following a positive COVID-19 test. Smith was one of baseball's most dominant end gamers in 2019 with the Giants, posting a 2.76 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 96 strikeouts over 65.1 innings while converting 34 of 38 save chances.

Smith (illness) threw live batting practice Monday and is scheduled to throw a simulated game Wednesday, putting him on track to join the Atlanta bullpen this weekend, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

"Everything went well," Braves manager Brian Snitker said after Monday's session. "He threw the ball really well. It was good to get him out there. I think he threw 25 pitches. He was turning it loose. We got done what we needed to." While the team's rotation is in tatters, the bullpen at least appears close to getting back to full strength. Smith should slot immediately into a high-leverage role once he comes off the injured list.

Smith (illness) threw another bullpen session Friday and will toss a live batting practice session and participate in a simulated game soon, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith is building up his arm strength after missing the entirety of summer camp due to a positive coronavirus test. Smith's target return date is not yet clear, though O'Brien speculates that it could come within a week.

Smith (illness) threw off a mound Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Smith has been progressing nicely in his return to throwing after battling COVID-19, and manager Brian Snitker said Thursday that his first mound work went very well. An official timetable for the southpaw's return hasn't been set, but he could be added to the active roster by next week if all goes well. He should slot into a high-leverage role out of the bullpen.

Smith (illness) could be added to the active roster by next week, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The southpaw reliever has so far only been able to play catch, but Atlanta expects that he'll be cleared for mound work very soon. Smith was quarantined with COVID-19 for most of July and was only able to join the team's camp Sunday. Atlanta's bullpen has struggled out of the gate with both Smith and Mark Melancon (back) yet to make their 2020 debuts.

Smith (illness) cleared the league's COVID-19 protocols and can rejoin the team, Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The veteran southpaw threw a side session in Atlanta on Sunday and figures to require some time before reaching game readiness after missing summer camp with COVID-19. Manager Brian Snitker hopes Smith will be able to join the Braves on their next road trip, which begins Aug. 7, though an earlier return remains possible.

The Braves placed Smith (illness) on the 10-day injured list Saturday.

Atlanta made the transaction shortly after the team revealed that Smith was one of four Braves to test positive for COVID-19. Among the four players, Smith and pitcher Touki Toussaint were revealed to be asymptomatic as of Saturday, so both could be cleared to rejoin the team in a matter of days if they can quickly procure two negative results in their subsequent tests. If Smith's absence proves to be a brief one, he should be ready to go for Opening Day and remain in the mix to close games for the Braves.

Manager Brian Snitker said Saturday that Smith tested positive for COVID-19, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Smith tested positive for COVID-19 along with three of his teammates. While Smith is reportedly asymptomatic, he'll still have to clear the league protocol before he's able to rejoin the team.

Smith posted a 1.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 6:3 K:BB through 5.1 innings before spring training was suspended.

The veteran left-hander is set to fill a high-leverage role for Atlanta this season after putting together back-to-back excellent campaigns for San Francisco in 2018-19. Mark Melancon will get first crack at the ninth inning, but Smith should still get occasional save chances against lefty-heavy lineups, and he would likely be the next man up at closer if Melancon falters.

Smith will primarily work in a high-leverage setup role for Altanta, but manager Brian Snitker said he wouldn't hesitate to use the 30-year-old to close, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Mark Melancon is considered the team's primary ninth-inning option right now, and the new rule requiring a pitcher to face at least three batters would seem to prevent Snitker from using the southpaw Smith to face only one or two tough left-handed hitters to close out the ninth. Nonetheless, Smith had the better overall season of the two in 2019, and if Melancon falters, the free-agent signee will be next in line for closing duties.

Smith signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Braves on Thursday.

Despite receiving a qualifying offer from the Giants, Smith landed a three-year deal with Atlanta after recording 34 saves and a 96:21 K:BB in 2019. The contract includes a club option for 2023 worth $13 million. The 30-year-old will join Atlanta's crowded bullpen that includes arms such as Mark Melancon, Luke Jackson and Shane Greene, so it's unclear whether Smith will perform as a full-time closer in 2020.

Smith received a qualifying offer from the Giants on Monday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Smith's decision on whether or not to accept the one-year, $17.8 million deal may be the toughest among the 10 players who were given the offer Monday. The draft-pick penalty which will now be assigned to him may dampen the market for the 30-year-old reliever even though he recorded 34 saves and a 2.76 ERA last season.

Smith (6-0) picked up the win against the Rockies on Wednesday after tossing a perfect inning with three strikeouts.

Smith came into a tied ninth inning and retired the side in order with three consecutive punchouts. Teammate Jaylin Davis then hit a walkoff home run in the bottom of the frame to gift Smith and the Giants with the win. Across 63 games this season, the 30-year-old closer has tallied 34 saves with a 2.76 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.

Smith allowed one hit but struck out two during the ninth inning to post a save in a 4-1 victory against the Braves on Sunday.

Since returning from back tightness a week ago, Smith has posted 3.1 shutout innings with two saves and five strikeouts. Dating back to Aug. 24, he's converted five straight save chances and allowed three runs in 9.2 innings. Overall, he is 5-0 with 34 saves, 2.84 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 63.1 innings this season.

Smith walked one batter and struck out one in a scoreless inning Sunday, earning the save over Miami.

Smith hadn't appeared in a game since Sep. 6 due to some back tightness but came back strong Sunday with a scoreless frame. He's now 33-for-37 in save chances with a 2.95 ERA in 2019.

Smith (back) threw Saturday and hasn't been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Marlins, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Smith hasn't pitched since last Friday. Previous reports held that he wouldn't be back until Tuesday at the earliest, but it's possible that he'll wind up ahead of that schedule.

Smith (back) played catch from flat ground Friday, Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Smith was initially hoping to pitch over the weekend, but it appears as though he'll be held out of game action until Tuesday. He's been nursing back inflammation since Saturday.

Smith (back) will resume throwing Thursday and if all goes well could pitch this weekend against the Marlins, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Smith hasn't pitched since Saturday as he battles a bout of back inflammation, but it looks as though he's nearing his return. The left-hander figures to receive a status update after Thursday's throwing session.

Smith (back) remains unavailable to pitch Tuesday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Smith hasn't taken the mound since allowing one run while recording his 32nd save Friday. It's unclear how long the left-hander is expected to remain sidelined as a result of the back inflammation. The Giants are currently without their top relievers with Tony Watson (wrist) likely done for the season and Reyes Moronta (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list.