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

EDGE Analysis

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.