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Nationals' James Wood: Healing slowly from oblique strain
Rotowire
Nationals manager Blake Butera said Sunday that Wood has been progressing more slowly than the team hoped from his left oblique strain, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Wood hasn't been shut down from baseball activities completely, but the 24-year-old outfielder remains in a holding pattern and hasn't been cleared for more strenuous exercises. Per MLB.com, Wood has been throwing at about 65 percent intensity out to 90 feet, taking dry swings at about 70 percent intensity and swinging off a tee at about 60 percent intensity. Based on where he currently stands in his recovery, Wood looks to be at least a week or two away from potentially rejoining the Nationals.
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Nationals' James Wood: Not expected back this week
Rotowire
Manager Blake Butera said Tuesday that Wood (oblique) is not expected to be activated from the injured list when eligible later this week, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.
Wood has progressed to fielding drills and throwing from 45 feet, and he's expected to take dry swings with the bat Tuesday. He suffered a strained left oblique Aug. 3 and has missed the Nationals' past six contests. Dylan Crews has been handling right field in Wood's absence.
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Nationals' James Wood: Sidelined by oblique strain
Rotowire
The Nationals placed Wood on the 10-day injured list Tuesday due to an oblique strain, Danielle Allentuck of The Washington Post reports.
Manager Blake Butera labeled the strain as "mild" and hopes Wood's stint on the IL will be a brief one. The 23-year-old slugger be eligible to be reinstated Aug. 14, but it's worth noting that oblique injuries typically require lengthier absences. Andrew Pinckney was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.
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Nationals' James Wood: Getting MRI tomorrow
Rotowire
Wood hurt his left side during Monday's matchup against the Phillies and will undergo an MRI Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
On his last swing, Wood hurt his left side in the sixth inning. The 23-year-old tried to take a couple of swings, but didn't feel comfortable playing the rest of the game. Dylan Crews replaced Wood as a defensive substitution in the bottom of the eighth inning.
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Nationals' James Wood: First multi-homer game of 2026
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk in Sunday's 10-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
It was Wood's fifth career multi-homer game and his first of the season. The All-Star outfielder has been sensational in July, batting .311 with nine big flies, four doubles, one triple, 20 RBI and 18 walks over 74 at-bats on the month. He's been a five-category superstar all season, slashing .271/.396/.557 with 30 long balls, 72 RBI, 15 stolen bases and an MLB-high 96 runs scored across 498 plate appearances.
Wood went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees.
Wood is putting together an incredible power surge, going deep in three consecutive games and in five of his past six outings. Additionally, the All-Star outfielder has launched 12 homers in his last 12 contests. Wood has been a five-category fantasy producer in 2026, slashing .279/.410/.575 with 28 long balls, 64 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a major-league-leading 89 runs scored over 454 plate appearances.
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Nationals' James Wood: Goes yard again Friday
Rotowire
Wood went 3-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees.
The 23-year-old superstar took Tim Hill deep in the seventh inning to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead, but the bullpen blew another save in the ninth. Wood has left the yard six times in the last 10 games, slashing .417/.571/1.056 over that sizzling stretch, and his total of 26 homers on the season in just 95 games is five shy of the career high he set in 2025.
Wood went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Nationals' 6-3 loss to the Astros on Tuesday.
Wood wasted no time in getting the Nationals on the board, taking the second pitch he saw from Tatsuya Imai deep to right-center field for a solo home run in the first inning. Wood continues to rake at the plate, and over his last eight games he has gone 12-for-29 (.414) with five home runs, 12 RBI, one steal and 11 runs scored. His .949 OPS and 25 home runs rank fourth and sixth, respectively, in the majors this season.
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Nationals' James Wood: Crushes grand slam Monday
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-2 with a grand slam, two additional runs scored, a steal and three walks in Monday's 12-11 win over the Astros.
Wood's lone hit was a big one, as he demolished a 446-foot grand slam to center field in the fifth inning. The big outfielder has been particularly hot of late, going 10-for-25 (.400) with four homers, 11 RBI, nine runs and a stolen base over his past seven games. The 23-year-old has put together an incredible 2026 campaign, slashing .268/.398/.541 with 24 homers, 60 RBI, 81 runs and 14 stolen bases across 92 games.
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Nationals' James Wood: Big day at Fenway
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-4 with two walks, a three-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 10-2 rout of the Red Sox.
The star outfielder wrapped up the scoring for the Nationals by taking Alec Gamboa deep in the seventh inning, giving Wood his 22nd homer of the season. The star outfielder went 13 straight games without going yard in the second half of June, but Wood's bat could be heating back up -- over his last six games he's gone 8-for-24 (.333) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
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Nationals' James Wood: Goes yard in loss
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-3 loss to Boston.
Wood's first swing of the day was a memorable one, as he launched a 2-0 sinker from Ranger Suarez well over the right-field wall for a leadoff homer. The 441-foot blast snapped a 13-game homer drought, marking the big outfielder's first long ball since June 15. The star 23-year-old has been as good as advertised in 2026, slashing .258/.383/.509 with 21 homers, 20 doubles, 50 RBI, 73 runs and 13 stolen bases across 86 games.
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Nationals' James Wood: Reaches base three times Monday
Rotowire
Wood went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Phillies.
The star outfielder scored multiple runs for the fifth time in the last 12 games as he continues to be an effective table-setter for the Nationals. Over that stretch, Wood is slashing .319/.382/.596 with four doubles, three homers, two steals, nine RBI and 12 runs, and his 70 runs on the season doesn't just lead the majors, it's 14 ahead of the second-place duo of Nick Kurtz and Brice Turang.
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