Wood, 21, began the year with the Class AAA Rochester (NY) 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.
Midway through a 10-day trip, the Nationals are set to meet the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida on Friday.
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, lands in the Nationals system in 2022 — one of the prospects sent to Washington by the San Diego Padres as part of the trade for Juan Soto. Also part of that deal: Mackenzie Gore, the left-handed pitcher scheduled to start Monday.
Eddie Rosario, whom the Nationals signed to a minor league deal in March, seems the most likely option to be moved ahead of Wood’s debut on Monday. The Nationals could try to find a team willing to trade for Rosario, the 2021 National League Championship Series MVP, who has a .556 OPS this season. But even with Rosario’s postseason experience, that could prove difficult.
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 earlier this month after being designated for assignment by the Rays . Winker was taking practice reps at first base with Joey Meneses before Friday’s game, perhaps indicating how the Nationals want to incorporate both Winker and Wood into the lineup.
Talented and soft-spoken, Wood has been carrying the burden of expectations with him for a long time. And his mother, Paula, has said that he “has always been passionate about baseball in a different way than anything else in his life.” Earlier this season, his manager in Rochester hinted that he might be ready for a bigger stage.
“Obviously it’s not my choice,” Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy said in May. “But he’s just done so much that if they ask me (about calling him up), (say), ‘Hey, man, it could happen,’ I’ll feel confident. ,
Wood is in the midst of his fourth season in the Minors. He began the 2023 season at High Class A Wilmington and was moved up to Class AA Harrisburg after only 42 games. This year, he participated in his first big league spring training and impressed in West Palm Beach, Florida, Washington’s spring training home.
Wood did not make Washington’s Opening Day roster – the Nationals wanted to give him more time to develop. But as he began to dominate Class AAA pitching, the noise around him grew. Wood suffered a right hamstring injury in mid-May, which kept him out of action for a few weeks. He returned on June 18 and has played in only 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 – Gore and shortstop C.J. Abrams – are already in Washington and are off to strong starts to the season. Other players included in the Soto trade include outfielder Robert Hassell III, who is on the injured list at Class AA Harrisburg (PA), and right-hander Jarlin Susana, who has given up two or fewer runs in his last five starts for the lower class Are. A. Fredericksburg (Va.).
Wood’s arrival in the majors comes on the heels of outfielder Dylan Cruz, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, joining the Red Wings. Cruz, 22, was promoted to Rochester last week.
Wood will join a young Nationals team that has surprised at times this season as the reboot of the franchise continues to take shape. Abrams and infielder Luis Garcia Jr. have been the team’s two better hitters. Soon Young has impressed in center field, and Washington’s pitching – which includes Gore and his two fellow starters, Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker – has shined. 2023 All-Star right-hander Josiah Gray has spent most of the season on the injured list, but could rejoin the team in the near future.
And now Wood’s moment is near, as Washington’s years-long rebuild takes another big step.
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