diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_band.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_band.c
index d56a01440..52869ab5b 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_band.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_band.c
@@ -780,7 +780,6 @@ ftl_band_write_md(struct ftl_band *band, void *data, size_t lbk_cnt,
 {
 	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = band->dev;
 	struct ftl_io *io;
-	int rc;
 
 	io = ftl_io_init_md_write(dev, band, data, lbk_cnt, cb);
 	if (!io) {
@@ -789,12 +788,8 @@ ftl_band_write_md(struct ftl_band *band, void *data, size_t lbk_cnt,
 
 	md_fn(dev, &band->md, data);
 
-	rc = ftl_io_write(io);
-	if (rc == -EAGAIN) {
-		rc = 0;
-	}
-
-	return rc;
+	ftl_io_write(io);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 void
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
index 512cd4942..ec30240ee 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.c
@@ -91,9 +91,6 @@ struct ftl_flush {
 	LIST_ENTRY(ftl_flush)		list_entry;
 };
 
-static void _ftl_read(void *);
-static void _ftl_write(void *);
-
 static int
 ftl_rwb_flags_from_io(const struct ftl_io *io)
 {
@@ -1584,50 +1581,30 @@ _ftl_io_write(void *ctx)
 	ftl_io_write((struct ftl_io *)ctx);
 }
 
-int
+void
 ftl_io_write(struct ftl_io *io)
 {
 	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = io->dev;
 
 	/* For normal IOs we just need to copy the data onto the rwb */
 	if (!(io->flags & FTL_IO_MD)) {
-		return ftl_rwb_fill(io);
+		/* Other errors should be handled by ftl_rwb_fill */
+		if (ftl_rwb_fill(io) == -EAGAIN) {
+			spdk_thread_send_msg(spdk_get_thread(), _ftl_io_write, io);
+		}
+
+		return;
 	}
 
 	/* Metadata has its own buffer, so it doesn't have to be copied, so just */
 	/* send it the the core thread and schedule the write immediately */
 	if (ftl_check_core_thread(dev)) {
-		return ftl_submit_write(ftl_wptr_from_band(io->band), io);
+		/* We don't care about the errors, as the IO is either retried or completed
+		 * internally by ftl_submit_write */
+		ftl_submit_write(ftl_wptr_from_band(io->band), io);
+	} else {
+		spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_core_thread(dev), _ftl_io_write, io);
 	}
-
-	spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_core_thread(dev), _ftl_io_write, io);
-
-	return 0;
-}
-
-static int
-_spdk_ftl_write(struct ftl_io *io)
-{
-	int rc;
-
-	rc = ftl_io_write(io);
-	if (rc == -EAGAIN) {
-		spdk_thread_send_msg(spdk_io_channel_get_thread(io->ioch),
-				     _ftl_write, io);
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	if (rc) {
-		ftl_io_free(io);
-	}
-
-	return rc;
-}
-
-static void
-_ftl_write(void *ctx)
-{
-	_spdk_ftl_write(ctx);
 }
 
 int
@@ -1658,26 +1635,29 @@ spdk_ftl_write(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev, struct spdk_io_channel *ch, uint64_t lb
 	}
 
 	ftl_io_user_init(dev, io, lba, lba_cnt, iov, iov_cnt, cb_fn, cb_arg, FTL_IO_WRITE);
-	return _spdk_ftl_write(io);
+	ftl_io_write(io);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
-int
+static void
+_ftl_io_read(void *arg)
+{
+	ftl_io_read((struct ftl_io *)arg);
+}
+
+void
 ftl_io_read(struct ftl_io *io)
 {
 	struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev = io->dev;
 
 	if (ftl_check_read_thread(dev)) {
-		return ftl_submit_read(io);
+		/* We don't care about the errors, as the IO is either retried or completed
+		 * internally by ftl_submit_read */
+		ftl_submit_read(io);
+	} else {
+		spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_read_thread(dev), _ftl_io_read, io);
 	}
-
-	spdk_thread_send_msg(ftl_get_read_thread(dev), _ftl_read, io);
-	return 0;
-}
-
-static void
-_ftl_read(void *arg)
-{
-	ftl_io_read((struct ftl_io *)arg);
 }
 
 int
@@ -1798,7 +1778,7 @@ ftl_process_retry_queue(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev)
 
 		/* Retry only if IO is still healthy */
 		if (spdk_likely(io->status == 0)) {
-			rc = ftl_io_read(io);
+			rc = ftl_submit_read(io);
 			if (rc == -ENOMEM) {
 				break;
 			}
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
index 1dc35fad3..6ed0504a0 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_core.h
@@ -232,8 +232,8 @@ struct spdk_ftl_dev {
 typedef void (*ftl_restore_fn)(struct spdk_ftl_dev *, struct ftl_restore *, int);
 
 void	ftl_apply_limits(struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev);
-int	ftl_io_read(struct ftl_io *io);
-int	ftl_io_write(struct ftl_io *io);
+void	ftl_io_read(struct ftl_io *io);
+void	ftl_io_write(struct ftl_io *io);
 int	ftl_io_erase(struct ftl_io *io);
 int	ftl_io_flush(struct ftl_io *io);
 int	ftl_current_limit(const struct spdk_ftl_dev *dev);
diff --git a/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c b/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c
index 09c29aff4..2f159c9be 100644
--- a/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c
+++ b/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c
@@ -414,21 +414,14 @@ ftl_reloc_io_reinit(struct ftl_io *io, struct ftl_band_reloc *breloc,
 static int
 ftl_reloc_write(struct ftl_band_reloc *breloc, struct ftl_io *io)
 {
-	int rc;
-
 	if (!(io->flags & FTL_IO_INITIALIZED)) {
 		ftl_reloc_io_reinit(io, breloc, ftl_reloc_write_cb,
 				    FTL_IO_WRITE,
 				    FTL_IO_KEEP_ALIVE | FTL_IO_WEAK | FTL_IO_VECTOR_LBA);
 	}
 
-	rc = ftl_io_write(io);
-	if (rc == -EAGAIN) {
-		spdk_ring_enqueue(breloc->write_queue, (void **)&io, 1);
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	return rc;
+	ftl_io_write(io);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int
@@ -468,7 +461,6 @@ ftl_reloc_read(struct ftl_band_reloc *breloc, struct ftl_io *io)
 {
 	struct ftl_ppa ppa;
 	size_t num_lbks;
-	int rc;
 
 	num_lbks = ftl_reloc_next_lbks(breloc, &ppa);
 
@@ -482,12 +474,8 @@ ftl_reloc_read(struct ftl_band_reloc *breloc, struct ftl_io *io)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	rc = ftl_io_read(io);
-	if (rc == -ENOMEM) {
-		rc = 0;
-	}
-
-	return rc;
+	ftl_io_read(io);
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c/ftl_reloc_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c/ftl_reloc_ut.c
index 825a32b2b..9e082463a 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c/ftl_reloc_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/ftl/ftl_reloc.c/ftl_reloc_ut.c
@@ -125,18 +125,16 @@ ftl_band_ppa_from_lbkoff(struct ftl_band *band, uint64_t lbkoff)
 	return ppa;
 }
 
-int
+void
 ftl_io_read(struct ftl_io *io)
 {
 	io->cb.fn(io->cb.ctx, 0);
-	return 0;
 }
 
-int
+void
 ftl_io_write(struct ftl_io *io)
 {
 	io->cb.fn(io->cb.ctx, 0);
-	return 0;
 }
 
 struct ftl_io *