Wood exits with left side discomfort, will undergo imaging Tuesday
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PHILADELPHIA -- Slugging outfielder James Wood tweaked his left side on a swing during Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Phillies and will undergo imaging.
Wood felt the discomfort on the final pitch of his seventh-inning at-bat against left-hander Kyle Backhus, which resulted in a ground out to first base. Wood initially remained in the game, but he was eventually replaced by Dylan Crews in the bottom of the eighth.
“I went back to the field after the [at-bat], so it was fine doing all that stuff,” Wood said. “But I tried taking a couple swings to see where I was at, and I didn’t really feel comfortable going on with it.”
Wood, 23, has not experienced this kind of discomfort before. Asked about his concern level, Wood said, “I’m not really sure, honestly. We’ll see when the imaging comes back.”
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Wood is the Nationals’ top offensive producer. Not only does he lead the team in home runs (30), runs scored (100), on-base percentage (.393) and OPS (.928), he also ranks first among all players in baseball in runs, third in OBP and OPS, fourth in homers, and eighth in slugging percentage.
Wood’s power is needed, especially after the Nationals traded away two of their top hitters, Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead, ahead of Monday's 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.
Should Wood miss any playing time, Triple-A Rochester outfielder Joey Wiemer is on the 40-man roster. The team dealt outfield prospect Christian Franklin to the Orioles on Monday.