Wood went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a triple and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Phillies.
Wood opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Zack Wheeler in the sixth inning and then tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth. The 22-year-old is finishing his rookie season on a high note, hitting safely in eight of his past 10 contests with four extra-base hits and six runs scored. On the year, he's batting .269 with nine long balls, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored and 14 steals across 331 plate appearances.
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Nationals' James Wood: Logs first multi-homer game
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs during Sunday's 4-3 win over the Marlins.
Wood belted a pair of solo home runs Sunday, marking the rookie's first-career multi-home run game. In his last 17 games, the outfielder is 17-for-67 with six RBI, nine runs and five stolen bases. On the year, he's slashing .273/.364/.429 across 280 plate appearances.
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Nationals' James Wood: Runs wild Wednesday
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and three stolen bases against the Yankees in Wednesday's 5-2 win.
Wood had struggled on the basepaths coming into Wednesday, as he had collected eight stolen bases but been caught seven times. He raised his percentage of success significantly against the Yankees, collecting three thefts -- all of which came against opposing starter Carlos Rodon -- without getting caught. Wood also had his first multi-hit effort since Aug. 21 and broke out of a six-game mini-slump during which he went 3-for-19.
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Nationals' James Wood: Slugs fifth homer
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Phillies.
The 21-year-old rookie continues to make life miserable for opposing pitchers, with his fifth long ball of the season coming off Jeff Hoffman in the ninth inning. Over his last 21 games, Wood is slashing a stunning .373/.472/.640 with 11 extra-base hits (five doubles, three triples, three homers), four steals, 15 RBI and 18 runs.
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Nationals' James Wood: Keeps raking Friday
Rotowire
Wood went 3-for-3 with a walk and a double in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Phillies.
The rest of the Nationals' offense couldn't take advantage of the rookie's performance, but Wood continues to shine brighter as he grows more comfortable in the majors. Over his last 15 games, the 21-year-old is slashing an eye-popping .382/.460/.618 with 12 runs, 11 RBI and seven extra-base hits, including two homers. His 4-for-8 showing on the basepaths during that stretch highlights that he still has some rough edges to his skill set, but Wood looks as though he will live up to his billing as Washington's next franchise player.
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Nationals' James Wood: Four hits in win
Rotowire
Wood went 4-for-5 with a double, one RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Orioles.
Wood logged the second four-hit game of his rookie campaign and was almost perfect at the plate until grounding out in his final at-bat. The 21-year-old is in the midst of a breakout August, tallying six extra-base hits, 10 RBI, 11 runs scored and four steals through 11 contests. On the season, he is hitting .283 with four home runs, 26 RBI, 23 runs scored and six steals across 157 plate appearances.
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Nationals' James Wood: Swipes third bag
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Friday's loss to the Brewers.
The 21-year-old outfielder continues to adjust to big-league pitching. After batting just .200 (16-for-80) through his first 21 games in July, Wood has racked up nine hits in the last six games, including two doubles and a triple, with a 5:7 BB:K. Friday's steal was his first since July 12 and third of the year in the majors on five attempts, after a 10-for-11 showing on the basepaths in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester prior to his promotion. While there are likely still significant growing pains ahead for him, Wood is on track to be a serious power-speed threat in the near future.
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Nationals' James Wood: Best game of young career
Rotowire
Wood went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 14-3 win over the Cardinals.
Wood entered Saturday 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts and one walk over his last four games. He made up for the slump throughout this contest, producing the first four-hit game of his career. The outfield prospect lifted his batting average to .235 with a .650 OPS, two home runs, three doubles, 15 RBI, nine runs scored and two stolen bases through 22 contests overall. Wood still has some learning to do on the job, as evidenced by a 35.1 percent strikeout rate, but he's also shown promise while playing on an everyday basis since coming up to the majors at the start of July.
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Nationals' James Wood: Lifts go-ahead homer
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run during Sunday's 5-2 win over the Reds.
Wood's second career homer couldn't have come at a better time for Washington, as it broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning and provided closer Kyle Finnegan with three runs of cushion to finish off the win. The 21-year-old outfielder has appeared in 17 games with the Nationals this season, slashing .246/.319/.354 with 12 RBI and seven runs while striking out at a 33.3 percent clip.
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Nationals' James Wood: Launches first career homer
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBI in Saturday's 14-6 rout of the Cardinals.
It was a huge day for the Nationals' young offense, and Wood was at the center of the eruption, crushing an opposite-field three-run home run off Lance Lynn in the second inning. It took the 21-year-old only six MLB games to launch his first homer, and Wood hasn't had much trouble adjusting to big-league pitching since his promotion, batting .304 (7-for-23) with a 4:6 BB:K.
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Nationals' James Wood: Collects first hit in debut
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-4 with a walk in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Mets.
The 21-year-old recorded a hit in his first major-league plate appearance, knocking a single to left off David Peterson. Wood later worked a five-pitch walk in the 10th inning. After slashing .353/.463/.595 in 231 plate appearances at Triple-A, the Washington outfielder appears set to play every day in left field for the Nationals. Wood has all the tools to be a fantasy star, as he reached double-digits in both homers and steals -- 10 apiece -- with 37 RBI and 44 runs scored in 52 games with Rochester before his call-up.
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Nationals' James Wood: Batting sixth in major-league debut
Rotowire
Wood will start in left field and bat sixth in Monday's contest versus the Mets.
The left-handed-hitting Wood will go up against southpaw David Peterson in his major-league debut. Left-handers didn't bother the 21-year-old at all this season at Triple-A Rochester. In fact, he performed a bit better versus them (1.089 OPS) than against righties (1.047 OPS).
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Nationals' James Wood: Added to roster ahead of MLB debut
Rotowire
The Nationals selected Wood's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Monday.
The top prospect will make his major-league debut Monday against the Mets. Wood earned a promotion after sporting a blistering .353/.463/.595 batting line with 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and a 42:40 K:BB over 52 games with Rochester. While Wood has experience at all three outfield positions, the Nationals plan to deploy him mainly in left field for the time being.
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Nationals' James Wood: MLB debut coming Monday
Rotowire
The Nationals will call up Wood from Triple-A Rochester prior to their game Monday against the Mets, Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan reports.
Wood is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and has had a phenomenal season at Rochester, slashing .346/.458/.578 with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases over 51 contests. He also boasts a 17.3 percent walk rate and just an 18.2 percent strikeout rate in the International League, which is particularly impressive considering he's just 21 and he fanned at a 31.5 percent clip between High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg in 2023. Wood is capable of handling all three outfield spots, but the expectation is that he'll be used mostly in left field by the Nationals.
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Nationals' James Wood: Looks ready for game action
Rotowire
Wood (hamstring) is expected to resume playing in games early this week, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Golden's report doesn't specify whether Wood will embark on a rehab assignment with one of the Nationals' lower-level affiliates or if he'll immediately rejoin the Triple-A Rochester lineup, but either way, the 22-year-old looks close to making a return from the right hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since May 23. The injury may have temporarily halted any momentum Wood had for earning a call-up to the big leagues, but the outfielder still looks on track to make his Nationals debut at some point later in 2024. He's performed as one of the International League's top hitters when available this season, slashing .355/.465/.596 with nine home runs, 10 stolen bases and a 17.4 percent walk rate.
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Nationals' James Wood: Lands on Triple-A IL
Rotowire
Wood was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday with right hamstring tightness, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Wood tweaked the hamstring during a game last Thursday and has been sidelined ever since. It's not clear how much more time the top prospect might miss, but his move to the IL means that he won't be a candidate for a major-league promotion in the short term. Wood, 21, is slashing a robust .355/.465/.596 with nine home runs, 10 stolen bases and a 37:35 K:BB over 45 games with Rochester this season.
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Nationals' James Wood: Managing tight hamstring
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Wood is dealing with right hamstring tightness, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The 21-year-old was removed from Triple-A Rochester's game Thursday due to the injury, though his exit was apparently precautionary. It appears Wood has avoided a serious injury, and he should be considered day-to-day.
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Nationals' James Wood: Exits early with soreness
Rotowire
Wood was removed from Thursday's game with Triple-A Rochester due to lower body soreness, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Wood didn't seem to have any obvious injury when he was pulled, but the severity of the issue is still unknown. One of the top prospects in the game, Wood is knocking down the door to the big leagues having maintained a .358/.465/.600 line across 200 plate appearances with Rochester.
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Nationals' James Wood: Organization preaching patience
Rotowire
Wood won't be rushed to the majors ahead of the Nationals' schedule for him, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.
After slugging two more homers Wednesday, the 21-year-old outfielder has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games for Triple-A Rochester, slashing .356/.449/.542 over that stretch with a 10:13 BB:K. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday the organization is sticking to its plan for Wood, however, and that he still has some things to learn in the minors. "He needs to get a bunch of at-bats," Martinez said. "He needs to learn some different things. We want him to get better against left-handed pitching. Want him to understand the baserunning stuff. All that stuff. He's striking out 33 percent of the time against lefties, so I really want him to work on that." While the Nats are trying to temper expectations for Wood, it's hard to imagine a veteran player like Eddie Rosario or Jesse Winker would represent a true obstacle for the top prospect once he's deemed ready.
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Nationals' James Wood: Starting season at Triple-A
Rotowire
Wood will begin the season with Triple-A Rochester, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.
The 21-year-old opened eyes this spring by batting .364 (16-for-44) with four homers, three steals and an 11:13 BB:K, and rather than return him to Double-A Harrisburg where he ended the 2023 campaign, the Nats will keep him one step away from the majors. If the improved approach at the plate Wood displayed this spring holds up in the regular season, it may not be long before he makes his big-league debut.
