Nationals manager Blake Butera informed reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, that outfielder James Wood will be placed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. Butera described the injury as “subtle” and “mild” while expressing hope it will be a minimal stint. Outfielder Andrew Pinckney will be selected to the roster to replace Wood. The 40-man has a vacancy after yesterday’s deadline dealings, so Pinckney can fill that without any further moves being necessary.
Even if Butera is correct and Wood is slated for a brief absence, it’s a blow for the Nats. Wood is one of the best players in the majors. He has 30 home runs, 17 stolen bases and a huge 16.8% walk rate. His .265/.393/.535 line leads to a 151 wRC+. His defense isn’t great but he has nonetheless been worth 4.2 wins above replacement this year in the eyes of FanGraphs, a top ten mark among MLB position players.
The Nats came into the season in rebuild mode but hovered around contention for most of it. That was mostly due to a top-heavy lineup with Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead doing all the damage. Despite a better-than-expected record, the Nats sold at the deadline, as expected. They sent out Mead and García to the Red Sox and Yankees, respectively. With Wood now heading the IL, the lineup should be far less intimidating for opponents in the near future.
His absence will give the 25-year-old Pinckney a chance to make his major league debut. A fourth-round pick from the 2023 draft, he seemed to take a step forward last year. He had never hit more than eight home runs in a season but got to 20 at the Triple-A level last year. This year, he has added 13 more. He has a .271/.345/.425 line and 101 wRC+ this season, though that is buoyed by a .380 batting average with Pinckney working around a 31.4% strikeout rate. Speed is clearly a big part of Pinckney’s game. He has 18 steals already this year and had at least 27 in each of the previous two seasons.
Pinckney is not currently listed on Baseball America’s top 30 prospects for the Nats but has been listed in the teens in previous years. Their reports on him highlight his speed and defense but with more questions about the offense. He has some power but hits the ball on the ground often and also strikes out a fair bit.
Since this is his first time getting a big league roster spot, he has a full slate of options and could be sent back to the minors when Wood returns. For now, he’ll try his hand against major league pitching and try to show he deserves to stick around. He’ll be in the mix for outfield playing time with Dylan Crews, Jacob Young and Daylen Lile.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
