Alex Wood to replace Gavin Floyd in Atlanta Braves rotation

In the aftermath to a devastating (and unsightly) injury to starting pitcher Gavin Floyd, the Atlanta Braves seemingly have a hole in their starting rotation. However, the Braves are one of the few teams in all of baseball with a surplus of starting pitching options, and it appears that stud left-hander Alex Wood will be promoted from the minors to take Floyd’s place in the rotation beginning next week.

The 31-year-old Floyd has been a revelation for the Braves this season, posting a 2.65 ERA over 9 starts, but Wood could actually be considered an upgrade here. As noted by Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Atlanta has no need for a fifth starter until they visit Philadelphia on June 28th, and as a result, the team has actually elected to promote left-hander Ryan Buchter from triple-A Gwinnett as their immediate replacement for Floyd on the roster.

Still, the job of the fifth starter (or fourth starter, if you don’t believe in Aaron Harang) will be handed to Alex Wood, and he seems to be more than capable of filling it. The 23-year-old has put together an impressive 3.26 career ERA in the Majors, and with 18 career starts under his belt before being shifted to the bullpen, Wood will undoubtedly be comfortable in the role. The timing is also interesting, as Wood was optioned to the minors to stretch out just 10 days ago, and the Braves were seemingly planning to insert him back into the rotation in the near future before the Floyd injury.

It remains to be seen whether the Braves can win the National League East without Gavin Floyd, but with Alex Wood waiting in the wings, they may not miss a beat.