Nationals prospect James Wood set to make his long-awaited MLB debut
James Wood, the highly-touted Washington Nationals prospect who has developed into a force in the minors, is expected to make his MLB debut Monday when the Nationals meet the New York Mets at Nationals Park, a source familiar with the matter told The Washington Post on Friday.
Wood, 21, began the year with the Class AAA Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings. The 6-foot-7 outfielder, whose long-awaited major league call-up has generated buzz throughout the season, is hitting .346 with a 1.036 OPS in 51 games for the Red Wings.
The Nationals, in the middle of a 10-day trip, are set to meet the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida later on Friday.
âI cannot confirm or deny the rumors,â said Martinez, who smirked when asked before Fridayâs game about the reports of Woodâs call-up. âBut I will tell you this â Iâm very excited for when he does get here. Heâs an outstanding kid. Iâm looking forward to working with him.â
A powerful left-handed hitter, Wood has hit 51 home runs in his minor league career, including 26 a season ago. Wood, who grew up in Maryland, landed in the Nationalsâ system in 2022 â one of the prospects the San Diego Padres sent to Washington as part of the trade for Juan Soto. Also part of that deal: MacKenzie Gore, the left-handed pitcher in line to start Monday.
âWeâve got to remember, heâs still 21 years old,â Martinez said. âHeâs still learning about himself, but heâs got unbelievable talent.â
The Nationalsâ 40-man roster is full, so theyâll have to trade or designate a player for assignment to clear space before Wood debuts Monday. Eddie Rosario, whom the Nationals signed to a minor league deal in March, seems the likeliest option. The Nationals could try to find a team willing to trade for Rosario, the 2021 National League Championship Series MVP for the Atlanta Braves who has a .556 OPS this season. But that could prove difficult, even with Rosarioâs postseason experience.
The Nationals have four other outfielders on the roster: Lane Thomas, Jacob Young, Jesse Winker and Harold Ramirez, who signed a minor league deal with Washington this month after being designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays. Winker was taking practice reps at first base with Joey Meneses ahead of Fridayâs game, perhaps signaling how the Nationals want to incorporate both Winker and Wood into the lineup.
Wood, bright and soft-spoken, has long carried with him the weight of expectations. And his mother, Paula, has said that he has âalways been obsessed with baseball in a different way than anything else in his life.â His manager in Rochester indicated that he might be ready for a bigger stage.
âObviously, thatâs not my choice,â Red Wings Manager Matthew LeCroy said in May. âBut heâs done enough right now that I would feel confident, if they asked me [about calling him up], [to say], âHey, man, might as well.ââ
Wood is in the middle of his fourth season in the minors. He started the 2023 season in high Class A Wilmington and jumped to Class AA Harrisburg after just 42 games. This year, he participated in his first big league spring training and impressed.
Wood didnât make Washingtonâs Opening Day roster â the Nationals wanted to give him more time to develop. Martinez has raved about Woodâs commitment to learning and improving his approach at the plate. And as he began to dominate Class AAA pitching, the noise around him continued to grow. Wood suffered a right hamstring injury in mid-May, which sidelined him for a few weeks. He returned on June 18 and has played in just six games.
When the Nationals traded Soto, they hoped to build a young core that would make them competitive again. Two pieces of that core â Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams â are already in Washington and having strong starts to the season. Other players involved in the Soto trade include outfielder Robert Hassell III, who is on the injured list in Class AA Harrisburg, and right-hander Jarlin Susana, who has allowed two runs or less in his past five starts for low Class A Fredericksburg.
âWe lost a really good player, as we all know,â Martinez said, referring to Soto. âBut to get the quality of players that we got and theyâre helping us out in the big leagues right now, with more to come, itâs exciting.â
Wood is set to arrive in the majors not long after outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, joined the Red Wings. Crews, 22, was promoted to Rochester this past week.
Wood will join a young Nationals team that has at times surprised this season as the franchiseâs reboot continues to take shape. Abrams and infielder Luis GarcĂa Jr. have been two of the teamâs better hitters. The speedy Young has impressed in center field, and Washingtonâs pitching â including Gore and two of his fellow starters, Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker â has shined. Right-hander Josiah Gray, an all-star in 2023, has spent most of the season on the injured list but could rejoin the team in the near future.
And now Woodâs moment looms, as Washingtonâs years-long rebuild takes another big step.