The Washington Nationals will be without one of their biggest offensive threats when they face the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of the series on Tuesday.
Is James Wood injured?
Washington placed James Wood on the 10-day injured list Tuesday after he was diagnosed with an oblique strain, according to Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post.
Return timeline remains optimistic
Manager Blake Butera described the injury as “mild”. He said the Nationals are optimistic Wood will miss only the minimum required time on the 10-day injured list and hopes he will be ready to return as soon as he becomes eligible for reinstatement.
The 23-year-old will first be eligible to return on Aug. 14, although oblique injuries are often known to sideline players for longer than the minimum stay.
What happened to James Wood?
Wood sustained the injury during Monday night’s matchup against Philadelphia.
He finished the game 1-for-4 at the plate before experiencing discomfort in his left side and was replaced by Dylan Crews for defensive purposes in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Initially considered day-to-day, Wood underwent an MRI on Tuesday that confirmed a mild oblique strain.
Wood’s rising MLB profile
The young outfielder has continued to establish himself as one of baseball’s brightest emerging stars.
A two-time All-Star, Wood has appeared in 114 games this season while batting .265/.393/.535 with 30 home runs, 73 RBIs and 100 runs scored, already a career best.
Wood joined the Nationals as part of the blockbuster 2022 trade that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres. Still just 23, he remains under team control for the foreseeable future, with one season of pre-arbitration eligibility remaining before entering arbitration.
Andrew Pinckney replaces injured Wood
To fill his roster spot, Washington recalled outfielder Andrew Pinckney from Triple-A. Pinckney has played 94 games in the minors this season, hitting .271 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs.
Entering Tuesday’s contest, the Nationals hold a 55-59 record. They trail the Atlanta Braves by 13 games in the NL East and sit 5 1⁄2 games behind the final National League Wild Card position with roughly two months remaining in the regular season.
