It’s been a productive spring for Braves prospect AJ Smith-Shawver, who made more than a cameo for the big-league team last season. Smith-Shawver impressed in some brief spot starts and was a regular in the Atlanta bullpen by the end of the regular season and NLDS loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yet, Smith-Shawver is also just 21 years old. He remains on the upswing, but some struggles with his secondary pitches were exposed in September and October.

Spring training stats are relatively meaningless for most players with a proven track record. Smith-Shawver is one of the distinct few, as his appearances should not be taken with a grain of salt. Smith-Shawver fell in the Braves prospect rankings this spring, and he may now start the season in the minor leagues as a result.

As FanGraphs noted after Smith-Shawver’s last impressive appearance to start the spring, he doesn’t necessarily fit in to the Braves rotation plans right now.

Smith-Shawver’s latest spring start raised some questions, and for good reason. He lasted three innings against the Yankees, but gave up seven hits and four runs against more big-league competition. That included some nasty strikeouts of Aaron Judge, but most of the damage against him came in a vital fourth inning, when he was eventually pulled.

Smith-Shawver’s head is in the right place this spring, which is good news for a Braves pitching staff that will need him eventually, but that time is not now.