Yahoo Sports

AJ Smith-Shawver fired 4 1/3 scoreless innings on Thursday in a no-decision against the Cubs.

Advice: Smith-Shawver looked sharp on Thursday afternoon against the Cubs, carrying a shutout into the fifth inning before Braves manager Brian Snitker elected to turn things over to the bullpen rather than let him face the top of Chicago’s lineup for a third time. He surrendered just three hits, struck out four and issued only a pair of walks. He generated nine swinging strikes and finished with a 24 percent CSW. The 21-year-old righty rocketed to the big leagues last year, but hasn’t had a ton of success at the highest level. There’s a possibility he gets an extended look over the rest of the year, but that remains to be seen. He’s currently in line to take the ball next Wednesday against the Nationals. Rotoworld Today, 2:41 pm

Braves recalled RHP AJ Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.

Advice: This move was rumored yesterday and is now official. With Bryce Elder disappointing in his five starts, the 21-year-old Smith-Shawver will get a chance to stake his claim to a spot in the rotation. Daysbel Hernández was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move. Smith-Shawver has improved his velocity and overall stuff+ grades this year in the minors, but his command has been an issue, leading to a decent amount of hard contact. In May, he has a 5.40 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and nine walks in 18 1/3 innings. The potential is clearly there, but he needs to show more consistency before we feel confident about his ability to stick in the rotation this year. Rotoworld Today, 8:38 am

Olson went 2-for-5 in Wednesday's win over the Cubs with a solo home run.

Advice: Olson launched a two-out, solo homer in the top of the seventh to extend Atlanta's lead to seven runs, giving the first baseman his fourth long ball this month and seventh overall on the season. The veteran first baseman also added a single on the night, marking his ninth multi-hit performance of the campaign and fifth in his last nine games. He's now hit safely in eight of his last 10 contests, tallying three homers and eight RBI over that stretch. Rotowire.com Today, 3:54 am

Pepiot allowed three runs on two hits, four walks and a hit batsman while striking out three over four-plus innings in a no-decision versus the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Advice: Pepiot returned from a lower left leg contusion that sent him to the injured list. He was cruising through the first four innings, but he put three straight batters on base to begin the fifth. Richard Lovelady couldn't slow down the Boston offense, leaving Pepiot to settle for a no-decision. The 26-year-old right-hander threw just 37 of 66 pitches for strikes in his return from injury. Pepiot now has a 3.98 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 44:15 K:BB over 40.2 innings across eight starts. It's unclear if his limited workload came from a pitch count or just the natural flow of the game. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Athletics. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:27 pm