WASHINGTON — Ryan Buchter made the Braves opening-day roster and was on the season-opening trip to Milwaukee. Now he might actually get to make his major league debut.
The left-handed reliever was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday when the Braves placed starting pitcher Gavin Floyd on the disabled list with a fractured elbow. Alex Wood will be recalled from Gwinnett to replace Floyd in the rotation on Wednesday, but the Braves wanted to add another reliever in the interim.
Buchter, 27, flew up from Atlanta and joined the Braves on Friday afternoon at Nationals Park. He didn’t pitch in any of the games in the season-opening series at Milwaukee before being sent down to Triple-A, so his debut could come during the last three games of the series against the Nationals that runs through Sunday.
Buchter had a 3.79 ERA in 27 appearances for Gwinnett, with 35 strikeouts and 21 walks in 35 2/3 innings. Left-handed batters had a .176 average (9-for-51) against him with 14 strikeouts and eight walks.
“I feel like I’m throwing the ball better than last year, even though the numbers might not look as good,” said Buchter, who had a 2.76 ERA in 51 apperances at Gwinnett in 2013, with 103 strikeouts and 51 walks in 62 innings. “ I feel like I’m in and around the strike zone a lot more. Just less swing-and-misses out of it, which I got a lot of last year.”
His grandparents were flying in Saturday and Buchter said his dad might also make it in from New Jersey. Buchter’s fiancée, Angela, flew up with him on Friday.
Gwinnett had a day off Thursday and Buchter was relaxing at the suburban Atlanta home of Braves pitcher David Hale when Triple-A manager Brian Snitker called with the news that he’d been summoned by the big club following Floyd’s injury.
Buchter has lived in a spare room of Hale’s house this season. “I call him my host dad,” Buchter said, smiling.
