Exciting News: Fans Dream Comes True

Exciting News: Fans Dream Comes True

The Atlanta Braves made a young fan’s dreams come true earlier this week. A young Braves fan named James, afflicted with cystic fibrosis, spent time playing catch with Atlanta superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. earlier this week. The Atlanta Braves Foundation posted on social media saying that James and his family also go to meet other members of the team at Spring Training. “Today, James and his family came out to @cooltodaypark to fulfill his wish of attending a Spring Training game and playing catch with @ronaldacunajr13! During his visit, James also got to meet the team, watch Batting Practice, run the bases, and get his baseball cards signed,” says the Atlanta Braves Foundation on Instagram. “James is 7 years old and wants to be the first-ever Braves player with Cystic Fibrosis.” The social media post shows James posing with Acuña and interacting with other players on the field. They also posted a picture of James showing signed baseball cards of Orlando Arcia and Travis d’Arnaud.

The Atlanta Braves made a young fan’s dreams come true earlier this week.

A young Braves fan named James, afflicted with cystic fibrosis, spent time playing catch with Atlanta superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. earlier this week. The Atlanta Braves Foundation posted on social media saying that James and his family also go to meet other members of the team at Spring Training.

“Today, James and his family came out to @cooltodaypark to fulfill his wish of attending a Spring Training game and playing catch with @ronaldacunajr13! During his visit, James also got to meet the team, watch Batting Practice, run the bases, and get his baseball cards signed,” says the Atlanta Braves Foundation on Instagram. “James is 7 years old and wants to be the first-ever Braves player with Cystic Fibrosis.”

The social media post shows James posing with Acuña and interacting with other players on the field. They also posted a picture of James showing signed baseball cards of Orlando Arcia and Travis d’Arnaud.

The Atlanta Braves optioned top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, moving closer to settling on their pitching staff for Opening Day.

The move was not surprising, given the 21-year-old right-hander’s inexperience. It clears the way for the Braves to pick between Bryce Elder and Reynaldo López for the fifth spot in the starting rotation behind Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Chris Sale and Charlie Morton.

Smith-Shawver was sent down after giving up seven hits and four earned runs in three innings of a spring training game Sunday against the New York Yankees. In three starts during the exhibition season, he showed glimpses of his enormous potential — recording 11 strikeouts in 7⅔ innings — but also gave up 12 hits, seven earned runs and two homers.

“I’m not trying to let people score, but thinking about competing and making pitches more than results,” Smith-Shawver said. “You want to make the team and be on the roster, but it’s still early and I need to develop and get better.”

The young pitcher made a meteoric rise through the Braves’ system during the 2023 season, starting out at Class A Rome before finishing on the big league roster for the NL Division Series.

Smith-Shawver went 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA in six Atlanta appearances, including five starts. He’ll likely be one of the top options to return to the majors if a pitcher is injured or the Braves need an extra starter this season.

In another move Monday, the Braves reassigned catcher Sebastián Rivero to the minor league camp.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow and San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish will be the starting pitchers when the National League West rivals open the season on March 20 in South Korea.

The Dodgers also announced Monday that right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2 of the Seoul Series the following day. Joe Musgrove will follow Darvish in the rotation.

Los Angeles acquired Glasnow, 30, in a Dec. 16 trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and signed him to a five-year, $136.5 million contract extension.

Glasnow went 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA in 21 starts for the Rays last season, striking out 162 batters in 120 innings. He is 30-27 with a 3.89 ERA in 127 games (88 starts) with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2016-18) and Rays.

Darvish, 37, finished 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts for the Padres last season. The five-time All-Star is 103-85 with a 3.59 ERA in 266 starts with the Texas Rangers (2012-14, 2016-17), Dodgers (2017), Chicago Cubs (2018-20) and Padres.

Los Angeles signed Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million contract in December. The 25-year-old won Japan’s pitching Triple Crown for the third straight season in 2023 and earned his third straight Eeiji Sawamura Award, equivalent to the Cy Young.