Schafer was named the Braves' starting center fielder for the 2009 season on April 3, 2009, despite never having played at a higher level than Double-A. He made his major league debut on April 5, 2009, becoming the 99th player in Major League Baseball history to hit his first career home run in his first major league at-bat, off Brett Myers of the Philadelphia Phillies. He finished the game 2 for 3, with the home run, a single, an intentional walk, and a strikeout.
