Ogasawara to debut Sunday, Wood cleared to jog, Poche returns from illness

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – After 10 days of official workouts, not to mention plenty more unofficial workouts that took place before camp actually opened, the Nationals are undoubtedly ready for something different. Like exhibition games, which fortunately start showing up on the schedule Saturday.

“Yeah, we’re ready,” manager Davey Martinez said. “As I’ve said before, these guys have been here for a while now. They’re itching to get out there and compete.”

The Nationals wrapped up the first portion of spring training today with one final full-squad workout on the back fields behind CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. They’ll finally set foot inside the main stadium Saturday to face the Astros in both teams’ Grapefruit League opener.

Don’t expect the entire projected Opening Day lineup to be out there right off the bat. We already know James Wood (who is dealing with left quad tendinitis) is being held back for the moment. It also sounds like CJ Abrams will sit Saturday, with veteran utilityman Amed Rosario getting the nod at shortstop.

“We’re still in February,” Martinez said. “I’m going to give everybody a chance to get out there and play and get going. We’ve just got to be careful. The ultimate goal is to keep everyone healthy and get them ready for Opening Day at the end of March.”

Wood once again did not participate in defensive drills this morning, but he did continue to face live pitching, and Martinez said he was cleared for some light running at 50 percent of his full pace.

“He’s feeling a lot better,” the manager said.

Jake Irvin is the starter for the Grapefruit League opener and is expected to be limited to one inning of work. A parade of relievers is set to follow him.

Sunday’s game against the Mets (1 p.m on MASN!) will see the American debut of Shinnosuke Ogasawara. The 27-year-old left-hander, the first free agent the Nats have ever signed directly from Asia, will get his first opportunity to face major league hitters as club officials gauge his true readiness.

Like Irvin, Ogasawara will be limited to one inning of game action in his first start of the spring. But he’s likely to then head to the bullpen to throw more after he’s officially departed the game, evidence of the workload he grew up with in Japan.

“He’s excited about it,” Martinez said. “I’m excited to watch him go out there and compete.”

* Colin Poche threw to live hitters today for the first time this spring. The left-handed reliever, recently signed to a minor league deal but likely to make the Opening Day roster if he’s healthy, had been sidelined a couple of days due to illness.

Poche isn’t scheduled for game action yet, but that would’ve been the case regardless of his illness. The Nationals are trying to hold off putting experienced relievers on the mound until later in the spring, recognizing Poche, Derek Law and others are going to be asked to throw a lot of innings during the season.

“He doesn’t need a lot, which is great,” Martinez said of Poche. “But he knows what he needs. By sitting down and talking to him and getting his schedule together with (pitching coach Jim) Hickey, he knows we’re going to do everything we can just to get him ready.”