The Atlanta Braves released right-handed pitcher Jacob Shafer from their High-A affiliate, the Rome Emperors, according to minor-league transaction reports on Monday.
The 24-year-old had struggled through a difficult season after being converted from a starter to a reliever.
Shafer, listed at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, was Atlanta’s 17th-round pick (521st overall) in the 2024 MLB Draft out of UNC Wilmington.
He signed for a $75,000 bonus and began his professional career with the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets. A High Point, North Carolina, native, he had also pitched for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League.
In 2026 with Rome, Shafer posted a 0-1 record and a 9.53 ERA in 25 relief appearances covering 39.2 innings. He allowed 48 hits and nine home runs, walked 38 batters, and struck out 35. His WHIP sat at 2.17. Those numbers marked a sharp drop from his earlier work in the organization.
His best professional season came in 2025. After beginning the year on the injured list and making a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Braves, he returned to Augusta and finished 3-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) across 44.2 innings.
He struck out 33 and walked 19. In a brief 2024 debut with Augusta he went 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA in five starts and 20 innings, striking out 24. Career minor-league numbers through this season stood at 4-3 with a 4.92 ERA in 41 games (14 starts) and 104.1 innings.
The Braves had used Shafer primarily as a starter in college and in his first two pro seasons before moving him to the bullpen this year. Control issues and home-run problems followed the role change.
Releases at this level are common as organizations clear roster space late in the season and evaluate which arms still fit their long-term plans.
Shafer is now a free agent and can sign with another organization. At 24 with size and a college background, he may draw interest from clubs looking for depth or a project arm.
The Braves, preparing for a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, continue to shuffle their minor-league pitching staff as the regular season winds down.
The move is one of several quiet organizational transactions rather than a high-profile roster shake-up.
For Shafer, it ends a two-year run in the Atlanta system that began with promise after the 2024 draft and included a strong 2025 bounce-back before this year’s regression at High-A.
