Braves leave Chris Sale off roster for wild-card series against Padres

Left-hander Chris Sale is not on the Atlanta Braves’ roster for their National League Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres, it was announced Tuesday.

Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver, who along with Bryce Elder made Atlanta’s roster for the best-of-three series, was named the starter for Game 1 on Tuesday in San Diego (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Sale, a contender for the NL Cy Young Award, was a late scratch Monday for Game 2 of Atlanta’s doubleheader against the New York Mets because of back spasms, with the Braves needing a win to advance to the playoffs.

The Braves said Monday that Sale (18-3, 2.38 ERA) would not be available until the division series. He hasn’t pitched since Sept. 19, when his velocity dropped in the second half of a start in Cincinnati; his speed had dropped to 92.7 mph on average, compared to 95.9 in his previous start.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sale has faced frequent issues throughout the season.

Smith-Shawver made just one start in the Majors this season, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings before suffering a strained oblique against the Chicago Cubs on May 23. He made 21 starts for Triple-A Gwinnett this season, going 3-8 with a 4.85 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 89 innings.

In addition to Sale, starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Grant Holmes both remained off the Braves’ roster after pitching against the Mets on Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.