Braves place Smith-Shawver on IL with elbow strain

The Atlanta Braves transferred starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver to the 60-day IL with a strained right elbow, the team announced Friday.

The team initially placed Smith-Shawver on the 15-day IL on Thursday.

He exited in the third inning of the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies. Moments after being hit in the ankle by a Bryson Stott line drive, Smith-Shawver shook out his elbow after throwing a pitch to Trea Turner. He got Turner to fly out but then left the game with a trainer.

(Video source: MLB.com)

Following the Braves' 5-4 loss, Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters that Smith-Shawver felt a "pop" in his elbow during the Turner at-bat. The 22-year-old is returning to Atlanta for an MRI.

"Anytime you hear those words, when they describe soreness and 'I felt something pop,' then that's usually not real good," Snitker said, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic. "But we've got to look at it first."

Smith-Shawver owns a 3.86 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 21 walks over nine starts for Atlanta this season.

A long-term injury to Smith-Shawver would be a devastating blow to a Braves rotation that's been inconsistent for much of this year. Atlanta has only received three starts from Spencer Strider and one from Reynaldo López as a result of their own injury issues.

To fill Smith-Shawver's active roster spot, the Braves recalled right-hander Michael Petersen from Triple-A Gwinnett. Petersen, 31, has made one big-league appearance with the Braves since joining the organization in April. The native of Middlesex, England, put up a 3.38 ERA with 19 strikeouts and four walks in 13 outings at Triple-A this year.