Wood sitting out defensive drills with quad tendinitis

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – James Wood sat out defensive drills on the first day of full-squad workouts, the Nationals left fielder hampered by left quadriceps tendinitis.

Wood insisted it’s nothing serious, and he was able to take batting practice today with no apparent issues. The ailment has been bothering him since the offseason, though, enough to warrant an MRI. That test, Wood said, showed no structural damage.

“It’s just inflammation,” he said. “The muscle’s just a little (ticked) off. I trust the training staff. I feel good about everything I’m doing, so I have no doubt I’ll be just fine.”

Asked what his level of concern is, Wood replied: “Zero.”

Wood has been a regular presence on the practice fields for the last week as one of many early-arriving position players who took batting practice and faced live pitching. But when the entire squad officially assembled today and everyone took his place in the field, Wood stayed back and watched from foul territory as Alex Call and Juan Yepez alternated drills in left field.

“Obviously, I really want to be out there, and it sucks,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s kind of boring just watching. I’d rather be doing the stuff. But I understand the pace they want to go and how they want to go about it. I trust them. The main thing is just being ready for the season.”

When it was time for live BP today, Wood joined several other regulars and stood in to face left-hander Colin Poche, who managed to induce back-to-back whiffs from the 6-foot-7 slugger.

“The good news is, it doesn’t bother him when he hits,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So we can get him many swings, which is important. As soon as we deem he’s ready to go to the outfield … it won’t take him long. He’s doing stuff to strengthen that area, so hopefully he’ll be fine here soon.”

The Nationals begin Grapefruit League play Saturday against the Astros. It appears at this point Wood won’t be in the field that soon, with a chance he’s allowed to DH. With more than five weeks still to go before Opening Day, there’s no rush to get him in the lineup.

“We’re taking it day by day,” he said. “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. I don’t really know what the plan is, but I’ll be ready to go.”