Alex Wood will return to starting rotation for Atlanta Braves on Wednesday
By Brad Rowland
When Gavin Floyd went down with an ugly elbow injury on Thursday night, the writing was on the wall for Alex Wood to return to the starting rotation for the Atlanta Braves. On Friday afternoon, those whispers were confirmed by manager Fredi Gonzalez, and Wood’s triumphant return will reportedly occur on Wednesday against the Houston Astros.
Alex Wood will start in Floyd's place on Wednesday. This allows the #Braves to give the other starters an extra day of rest
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 20, 2014
Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Wood will be inserted directly into the starting rotation, and this is a mild surprise, especially given that the Braves could have pushed him back to June 28th as a result of a scheduled off day on Monday. Still, it is likely a positive indication that the 23-year-old left-hander is ready to pitch deep into games, and that is a huge development for Atlanta.
The absence of Floyd has inspired some panic within Braves Country, but there is little reason to believe that Wood won’t be effective immediately upon return. Stay tuned for the latest as information rolls in, but Wednesday night appears to be the comeback party for Alex Wood.