Source: Nats plan to call up Wood to debut Monday

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nationals plan to promote outfielder James Wood to make his major league debut Monday night against the Mets, two sources familiar with the decision confirmed, calling the top prospect up for their final homestand prior to the All-Star break.

Wood is still scheduled to play this weekend for Triple-A Rochester, according to one of the sources, where the 21-year-old surely will be monitored closely in hopes of keeping him healthy before he travels to D.C.

Wood’s planned promotion, which was first reported by 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen, figures to be the Nationals’ most-hyped debut in years, certainly since the franchise embarked on its roster rebuild three summers ago. One of the centerpiece prospects acquired in the August 2022 trade with the Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, the 6-foot-7 outfielder currently is rated baseball’s No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline, two spots ahead of fellow outfielder Dylan Crews, who was just promoted to Rochester last week.

Wood has dominated at the Triple-A level since the season began and was on target to debut earlier this summer until he suffered a hamstring injury May 23. He spent nearly four weeks on the minor league injured list, then returned to action June 18 (the same day Crews made his Triple-A debut).

In six games since coming back from the injury, Wood is 5-for-19 with one homer, three RBIs, four walks and four strikeouts. In 51 total games this season, he’s batting .346 with a .458 on-base percentage, 10 homers, 34 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a 1.036 OPS.

Though he has spent time at all three outfield positions, Wood has exclusively played left field since coming off the IL. The safe bet is that he’ll take over in left for the Nationals, potentially giving center fielder Jacob Young an occasional day off if needed. That would bump Jesse Winker to the primary DH role, perhaps in a platoon with recently acquired veteran Harold Ramírez. Struggling veteran Eddie Rosario could wind up the odd man out, though something else could develop to disrupt that plan over the next three days.

When he arrives, Wood will join shortstop CJ Abrams and left-hander MacKenzie Gore (who happens to be Monday’s scheduled starter) as three young cornerstones from the Soto trade playing together for the Nats for the first time. Outfielder Robert Hassell III is currently on the IL at Double-A Harrisburg, where he was slashing .278/.369/.369 in 49 games. Right-hander Jarlin Susana, still only 20, is 1-7 with a 4.91 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 28 walks in 51 1/3 innings at Single-A Fredericksburg.