Josie Canseco celebrates one-year anniversary with Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver in vacation photos

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• 🔥 Quick Facts
• A Year Into Love: How Canseco and Smith-Shawver Found Each Other
• Celebrating the Milestone: Vacation Photos Tell Their Story
• Relationship Timeline and Key Moments
• The Professional Paths: Model and Pitcher
• What the Anniversary Means for Sports and Entertainment Crossover
• Will This Relationship Reach Two Years? What Fans Are Watching For
  • Sources

Josie Canseco, the Victoria’s Secret model and daughter of former MLB legend Jose Canseco, celebrated a major relationship milestone on May 26, 2026. The 5’9″ model marked her one-year dating anniversary with Atlanta Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver by sharing intimate vacation photos with her 1.1 million Instagram followers. The couple’s public displays of affection have defined their relationship since first going public in summer 2025.

A Year Into Love: How Canseco and Smith-Shawver Found Each Other

Josie Canseco, following in the entertainment footsteps of her famous father, has carved her own path as a professional model. Her career spans high-fashion campaigns, commercial work, and consistent social media engagement with millions of followers. In summer 2025, she publicly announced she was dating AJ Smith-Shawver, a Fort Worth, Texas native and rising prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization. The announcement came just weeks after the pitcher was working his way through the Braves’ farm system, building toward his major league debut. Their relationship would soon become defined by public declarations and shared moments that fans have closely followed.

Smith-Shawver, who attended Colleyville Heritage High School, had an unconventional path to professional baseball. He didn’t begin pitching for his high school team until his junior year in summer 2020, making his rapid ascent through the Braves organization all the more notable. Standing 6’3″ and weighing 205 lbs, the right-handed pitcher impressed scouts with his strikeout ability during minor league development. His 2025 MLB debut represented a career milestone, though his season would be cut short by injury.

Celebrating the Milestone: Vacation Photos Tell Their Story

To mark their one-year anniversary, Canseco shared a series of vacation photos on Instagram Tuesday morning. The images captured the couple relaxing together, with Canseco photographed in tropical settings wearing vacation attire. In her caption, she wrote a brief romantic message about their relationship. The post generated significant engagement from her followers, who celebrated the milestone publicly. This follows their December 2025 holiday vacation to Mexico, where they documented their stay at Zadún, an ultra-luxury Ritz-Carlton Reserve property known for attracting celebrities and high-profile couples.

The couple has demonstrated consistent public affection since first going public. They’ve attended events together, including Braves team functions, where photographers captured them as an official couple. Smith-Shawver has shared his own social media posts featuring Canseco, creating a pattern of mutual public acknowledgment that differs from many athlete-celebrity relationships that emphasize privacy. Their willingness to share moments has made them a notable fixture in entertainment and baseball social media circles.

Relationship Timeline and Key Moments

Date	Event
Summer 2025	Couple first goes public with relationship
July 24, 2025	Josie shares first public photo of AJ on social media
August 30, 2025	Couple photographed at Celebrity Poker Tour event
November 5, 2025	Josie’s 29th birthday celebration; AJ shows birthday cake photos
December 2025	Romantic Mexico vacation at Zadún Ritz-Carlton Resort
May 26, 2026	One-year dating anniversary celebration with vacation photos

The timeline illustrates a rapid progression from private dating to public partnership. Unlike many professional athletes who maintain separation between personal and public life, Smith-Shawver has embraced sharing his relationship with Canseco with followers. This openness has created a more accessible narrative for fans following both careers.

The Professional Paths: Model and Pitcher

Canseco has built an impressive modeling career despite—or perhaps because of—her famous last name. She boasts representation from Elite Models Miami and Photogenics Media, two agencies known for placing models in major campaigns. Her measurements stand at 34-24-34.5 inches, professional dimensions that have secured her commercial and fashion work. She maintains active social media presence with consistent content drops showcasing fitness, fashion partnerships, and lifestyle moments that drive sponsor engagement. Similar to other entertainment figures balancing personal and professional identities, she leverages her platform strategically.

Smith-Shawver’s professional trajectory took a significant turn in 2025. After his MLB debut in May 2025, the pitcher’s season was interrupted when he suffered a torn UCL (ulnar collateral ligament). He underwent Tommy John surgery on June 9, 2025, a procedure that typically requires 12-18 months of recovery. As of May 2026, he remains on the 60-day injured list, with expectations he may not return to pitching until late 2026 or potentially 2027. This injury has coincided with the couple’s relationship, adding an emotional dimension to their public displays of support.

“A year with you. How’d I get so lucky.”

— Josie Canseco, Instagram caption, May 26, 2026

What the Anniversary Means for Sports and Entertainment Crossover

The Canseco-Smith-Shawver relationship exemplifies modern sports-entertainment dynamics. Unlike past eras when athlete-celebrity relationships remained secretive, this couple has actively cultivated their public image as a unit. Canseco’s modeling career and substantial social media following have allowed her to drive narrative control on the relationship. Smith-Shawver’s willingness to participate in this public partnership—posting photos, attending events together, and celebrating milestones publicly—suggests a shift in how younger athletes approach privacy versus visibility. The couple’s one-year milestone marks not just a romantic achievement but a sustained period of public scrutiny they’ve both managed strategically.

Their anniversary celebration also arrives during a significant period in Smith-Shawver’s career recovery. While he rehabilitates from surgery, having visible public support from Canseco provides emotional grounding. Professional athletes often cite relationship stability as crucial during injury recoveries, and the couple’s public affection appears to reinforce this positive dynamic. The vacation photos shared on their anniversary suggest both parties are prioritizing quality time together during a challenging professional moment.

Will This Relationship Reach Two Years? What Fans Are Watching For

Entertainment observers have noted several interesting developments in the Canseco-Smith-Shawver relationship that will determine its trajectory. First, Smith-Shawver’s injury recovery timeline will significantly impact their ability to maintain the visible support system they’ve built. If he returns to active competition by late 2026 or 2027, the demands of professional baseball may test their arrangement. Second, Canseco’s modeling career continues expanding, with recent partnerships and photoshoots indicating she’s not pausing professional growth for the relationship. This mutual career focus—rather than one partner sacrificing for the other—may provide healthier long-term sustainability. Finally, the couple’s comfort with public visibility suggests they understand the value of social media narrative control in modern celebrity relationships.

As the couple moves forward from their one-year anniversary, fans of both Canseco’s modeling career and Smith-Shawver’s baseball development remain engaged. Whether they continue their public partnership journey or adjust their visibility remains to be seen. For now, their anniversary celebration captures a moment of stability and romance amid the constantly shifting landscape of professional sports and entertainment.

Sources

• New York Post — Josie Canseco anniversary celebration and bikini vacation photos
• AOL Entertainment — Relationship timeline and public dating announcement
• Sports Keeda MLB — Couple’s major personal milestone coverage
• Instagram (@josiecanseco) — Official anniversary caption and vacation photo documentation
• Wikipedia (AJ Smith-Shawver) — Professional baseball background and career details
• Elite Models Miami — Josie Canseco agency representation and measurements
• Times of India Sports — December 2025 Mexico vacation details and Zadún resort information
• MLB.com and Baseball Reference — AJ Smith-Shawver injury and recovery timeline