BY DAN GLICKMAN
One of the Rochester Red Wings’ top hitters is getting the call to the big leagues: multiple reports say that outfielder James Wood will soon join the Washington Nationals, with a debut set for Monday, July 1 for a home game against the New York Mets.
The move, first reported by Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan and MLB Network Radio, has yet to be confirmed by the Nationals or the Red Wings, but several other reporters in the Washington area and around baseball have corroborated it. It isn’t clear if Wood remains with the Red Wings or has already left to join the Nationals before his big league debut.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
Wood, the top prospect in the Nationals system and one of the highest-rated minor league players overall (named No. 3 by MLB.com), has been one of the biggest offensive weapons for the Red Wings this season, leading the team in batting average (.346), on-base-percentage (.458), slugging (.578), OPS (1.036) and runs scored (42) while placing second in home runs (10), hits (64), walks (39), and stolen bases (10). His “slash stats” of batting average, on-base, and slugging lead the entire International League. Named the International League’s MVP of the first half on June 25, the Maryland native’s statistical excellence came despite missing several weeks with a hamstring injury suffered on May 23.
The 6’7″ outfielder would be the third prospect acquired in the 2022 Juan Soto deal to make it to Washington, following pitcher Mackenzie Gore and former Red Wings shortstop CJ Abrams. Two other prospects included in the deal, outfielder Robert Hassell III and right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana, remain active in the lower minors, with Hassell a member of the AA Harrisburg Senators and a possible candidate to join Rochester later this season.
Talk of a Wood callup had grown in the days before his injury in May, but at the time, the IMG Academy product was more focused on staying focused where he was:
“I’m just trying to be consistent,” he said at the time. “I’m just trying to get myself prepared, [and] sometimes the game just goes your way a little bit more times than others.
“Obviously, [reaching the majors] is the goal, but I’m just really trying to stay focused on what I can accomplish here every day.”
The Nationals clearly believe he has accomplished everything he needs to in Rochester.
The Red Wings, 3-0 to start the second half of the season, continue their series with the Indianapolis Indians on Friday night at 6:45. Righty Spenser Watkins (4-3, 4.38) will face Indianapolis righty Luis Cessa (2-2, 3.99 ERA). It’s a “Defenders of the Diamond” night for the Red Wings, who’ll wear Marvel Comics-inspired uniforms and host post-game fireworks.
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