Braves’ Wild Card Game 1 starter options without Chris Sale

ATLANTA — When a reporter said something about how beneficial it could be to have as many lefties as possible against the Padres, Braves manager Brian Snitker said, “It’s just nice to have our lefty against anybody.”

That lefty is Chris Sale, who will likely be unavailable during the best-of-three Wild Card Series the Braves will begin against the Padres on Tuesday in San Diego. Sale is dealing with back issues that stretch back to his most recent start on Sept. 19 in Cincinnati.

So without Sale, who will the Braves start in Game 1? Max Fried is lined up to start Game 2 on regular rest, and Reynaldo López will be on regular rest if Game 3 is necessary on Thursday. But none of the current members of Atlanta’s rotation will be available. Charlie Morton started Sunday, and Spencer Schwellenbach pitched into the eighth inning of the first game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Mets.

So who will it be? Ian Anderson, AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder have all been mentioned as candidates. Each of them has continued to stay ready since Triple-A Gwinnett’s season ended a little more than a week ago.

The best choice might be Anderson, who has a 1.26 ERA in eight career postseason starts. Stephen Strasburg and Christy Mathewson are the only other pitchers who have produced a sub-1.50 ERA over at least eight playoff starts.

But Anderson hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2022. He missed most of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he remained at the Triple-A level after returning to the mound last summer. He finished the regular season strong, allowing four earned runs over his final three starts (17 innings).

Elder was an All-Star last year, but he faltered during the second half of the 2023 season and then posted a 6.52 ERA in 10 big league starts that were spread throughout this season. His lone postseason start was made last year, when he held the Phillies scoreless for two innings and then allowed six runs in the third inning of Game 3 of the NL Division Series.

Smith-Shawver gained some postseason experience when he pitched in front of the hostile Philadelphia crowd after Elder exited last year. The highly regarded No. 2 Braves prospect tallied double-digit strikeout totals in two of his last three starts for Gwinnett this year. But he also allowed four home runs over six innings against Jacksonville on Sept. 22.

Elder and Smith-Shawver have been on the 40-man roster all season. Because Anderson isn’t currently on the 40-man, he would have to replace someone who is on the injured list and has served the minimum amount of time required for activation. He could be added for Spencer Strider, who has been on the 60-day injured list for more than 60 days.