While James Wood’s first two major league games came with all of the deserved hype, the Nationals’ top prospect had yet to really deliver a signature moment.

Sure, he reached base in high-leverage moments in both games, but he hadn't yet scored his first major league run nor recorded his first major league RBI.

So maybe the third time would be the charm for Wood, who was promoted to the No. 1 prospect in baseball by Baseball America earlier today. And sure enough, his first big league moment came tonight in leading the Nationals to victory.

Wood drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the seventh inning of the Nats’ 7-5 win over the Mets, their first against their division rival this season.

After rallying from a 5-0 deficit to make it a one-run game entering the sixth inning, the Nationals offense put Wood in position to be the hero.

The Nationals made a switch at their backup catcher position Wednesday afternoon, recalling Riley Adams from Triple-A Rochester and optioning Drew Millas back to Rochester.

Adams, 28, was sent down to Rochester and replaced by Millas on the major league roster a month ago after he hit .215 with five doubles, two homers, six RBIs, seven walks, one stolen base and six runs scored in 25 games with the Nationals.

Now after 22 games with the Red Wings, he’s back in the big leagues with improved timing at the plate and another defensive position in his back pocket to give manager Davey Martinez more flexibility.

“Feels good to be back,” Adams said mere minutes after he returned to the clubhouse at Nats Park. “Obviously I've been here now for 20 minutes and I'm happy to be back. Happy to be here and anyway can help the team and all that stuff, I'm here for. That's what I told Davey. I'm excited to get back to work.”

Adams slashed .288/.396/.550 with a .946 OPS, three doubles, six homers, 13 RBIs, 12 walks and 16 runs scored with Rochester.

Will tonight be the night? Can the Nationals finally beat the Mets after starting the year 0-5 against their division rival? Better yet, can they do it in the standard nine innings after losing each of the first two games of this series in the 10th?

Starting pitching hasn’t been a problem for the Nats this week. On the contrary, they have remained in these games thanks to some dominant performances from their starters over the last two days. Mitchell Parker will look to continue that trend in his 15th start. The left-hander is 5-4 with a 3.32 ERA and 1.119 WHIP to begin his rookie season.

The Mets called up rookie right-hander Christian Scott to make his sixth major league start tonight. The 25-year-old is 0-2 with a 3.90 ERA and 1.084 WHIP to begin his big league career. After holding his own against two southpaws in his first two games, this will be James Wood’s first time facing a right-handed starter in the majors.

If you’re coming to the game tonight, you’ll be treated to the traditional postgame fireworks ahead of tomorrow’s July 4 celebrations.

Note: The Nationals requested unconditional release waivers on Eddie Rosario, who was designated for assignment on Monday to make room for Wood.

Tuesday’s news on Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli wasn’t good, certainly not in Gray’s case. The Nationals’ Opening Day starter, who landed on the injured list after two outings with a right flexor strain, has been shut down during the final stages of his rehab assignment after a recurrence of elbow discomfort and is scheduled to visit specialist Keith Meister in Dallas during the All-Star break.

We won’t know until then whether Gray’s injury has become far more significant and requires surgery, or whether he managed to avoid the worst and just needs more time off. Either way, it’s clear he won’t be pitching in the big leagues anytime soon, and his 2024 season could end up a complete wash.

There’s still reasonable hope for Cavalli pitching major league games for the Nationals in the relatively near future, though his return from Tommy John surgery isn’t as imminent as it once looked after the right-hander came down with the flu last week and now needs to start building up his arm yet again. Both Cavalli and Gray’s rehab assignments have been shut down.

This would have qualified as terrible news back in April. The Nats absolutely were counting on both Gray and Cavalli to be a big part of their 2024 rotation, and then for years to come after that.

It’s still bad news, but it may not be as damaging to the club’s short-term and long-term hopes as most would’ve thought when the season began. For that, we can thank the remarkable and unexpected ascension of three other young starting pitchers who have dazzled so far in the majors this year: Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz.

James Wood has spent all of two nights in the big leagues. Each time, the Nationals’ top prospect has found himself stepping to the plate to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game. Each time, he hasn’t been able to score the winning run.

And each time, the Nats went on to lose to the Mets after a disastrous top of the 10th.

The script was basically the same tonight, New York scoring five 10th-inning runs after exploding for six in Monday’s series opener. The Nationals didn’t have a last-ditch rally in them and thus lost their fifth straight to their division rivals, this time by a more lopsided score of 7-2.

"I think I've kind of been learning quick that how close these games really are," Wood said, "and one play can really make a difference."

Kept off the bases his first three times up tonight, even though he scorched the ball each time, Wood finally got a chance to face a right-hander in his fourth plate appearance of the game, his ninth overall in the big leagues. He saw six pitches from the Mets’ Jose Butto, didn’t swing at any of them, and wound up drawing the walk.

Monday wasn’t a typical day at the ballpark. Today should be, as the hullaballoo of James Wood’s debut dies down and the rookie outfielder just gets to work on being a big leaguer for a team trying to start winning games again.

The Nationals had themselves within a game of .500 just over a week ago, but they’ve lost six of their last seven and now suddenly sit at 39-45, three games behind a Mets team they led for most of the season’s first half. They need to get this thing back in gear before it spirals too far out of control.

Wood and his teammates will be facing another left-hander tonight in Sean Manaea. The 32-year-old has solid numbers (3.89 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, 76 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings) but he’s also walking four batters per nine innings. A Nats lineup that frequently hasn’t shown enough patience needs to show it tonight.

DJ Herz, meanwhile, starts for the Nationals, and the rookie left-hander needs a bounceback performance after back-to-back shaky outings on the road that have made his 13-strikeout gem against the Marlins feel like a distant memory. We still don’t know what exactly is going on with Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli, so Herz’s job may not be on the line tonight. But a strong outing would certainly help his cause to stick around and avoid a trip back to Triple-A Rochester.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly clear, 84 degrees, wind 10 mph out to left field

Josiah Gray is unlikely to pitch again for some time after the right-hander experienced elbow discomfort during his last rehab start, prompting the Nationals to schedule an MRI and a consultation with Dallas specialist Keith Meister during the All-Star break.

Though they don’t yet know the extent of this setback, the Nationals and Gray admittedly are worried about the possibility of a serious injury that requires him to miss considerable time after he already spent nearly three months trying to make it back from a flexor strain in his elbow and forearm.

“I’m a little concerned right now,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We got him ramped up, he looked good. Last outing, the velo wasn’t there. He said he just felt tired. His arm, he felt like he had nothing in there. So we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Gray was making his fifth rehab start of the month Sunday, his previous outing Tuesday for Triple-A Rochester going exceptionally well: six innings of one-run ball on 73 pitches. This latest appearance bore little resemblance to that one, with Gray getting roughed up for seven runs in three innings and his fastball topping out at 91.9 mph.

“Honestly, I felt really good going into it,” the 26-year-old said. “And then in between innings, I didn’t feel like I was recovering well. I just felt a little fatigued. Told the trainers, and we tried to get ahead of it. We’ll see what we’ve got when we get the MRI.”

Washington Nationals top prospects outfielder James Wood, outfielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Brady House have been selected to represent the organization in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas on July 13. Major League Baseball made the announcement Tuesday on MLB Network.” The 25^th All-Star Futures Game features the top Minor League prospects competing as part of All-Star Saturday.

Wood, 21, is the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, according to Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He leads Washington’s Minor League system and ranks among all Minor League hitters in batting average (2^nd, .353), on-base percentage (2^nd, .463), OPS (2^nd, 1.058) and slugging percentage (9^th, .595). He hit .353 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 40 walks, 10 stolen bases and 44 runs scored in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester this year. Wood made his Major League debut last night, going 1-for-4 with a walk.

The six-foot-seven, 234-pound left-handed hitting outfielder was named the International League Player of the Week on May 13 after going 10-for-22 (.455) with a double and five home runs. He later earned Player of the Month honors after slashing .394/.506/.746 with four doubles, seven home runs, 22 RBI, 17 walks and 18 runs scored during the month of May.

Wood participated in the 2023 All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He walked in two plate appearances.

Crews, 22, is the No. 5 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He ranks in Washington’s Minor League system in RBI (3^rd, 45), stolen bases (T3^rd, 18), triples (T3^rd, 3), OPS (4^th, .788), slugging percentage (4th, .442), extra-base hits (T5^th, 24), total bases (5^th, 106), batting average (7^th, .271), doubles (T7^th, 14), home runs (T8^th, 7), hits (T8^th, 65) and runs (T8^th, 37).

James Wood was the center of attention Monday night, and he may remain so for the foreseeable future. But a whole lot of other stuff happened during the course of the Nationals’ wild, frustrating, 9-7, 10-inning loss to the Mets.

And it’s worth revisiting some of those other key developments through the course of the game …

* Another rough night for Harvey
There haven’t been many players on the roster this season more consistently reliable than Hunter Harvey, but the right-hander is in a legitimate pitching slump right now. And it’s costing his team games.

Harvey entered Monday’s affair having been scored upon in two of his three previous appearances, not to mention four of his last nine. He endured through an awful 10th-inning meltdown in San Diego last week. And then he basically re-lived it Monday night against the Mets.

Harvey faced six batters and retired only two. The three hits he surrendered were a three-run homer, a two-out double and an RBI triple. He got only two swings and misses out of his 24 pitches. And of the five balls that were put into play against him, four featured exit velocities of at least 101.5 mph, while the fifth still clocked in at 98.6 mph.

This was always going to be James Wood Night at Nationals Park, no matter how the 21-year-old performed in his major league debut, no matter the outcome of the Nats’ series opener against the Mets.

But as early evening turned to dusk turned to night on South Capitol Street, it became clear this game was going to come down to Wood at the plate – or the bases – with a chance to be the hero.

The only problem: Wood needed at least some help from his teammates, and alas they provided none at the critical moment of the game. Which then set the stage for the proceedings to flip entirely in the other direction.

A six-run top of the 10th by the Mets, five of those runs scoring off Hunter Harvey, ultimately was the difference in what devolved into a bizarre, 9-7 Mets victory, spoiling Wood’s highly anticipated debut before a crowd of 26,719 that desperately wanted to go home happy but instead left disappointed.

"Obviously, that's the end goal," the sport's No. 3-ranked prospect said at the end of a long, emotional day. "I wish we'd come out with a win. But we've got another one tomorrow, and that's all I'm focused on."

James Wood’s arrival date had been known since Friday. What wasn’t known was the identity of the player whose roster spot the Nationals’ top prospect would take.

That question finally was answered this morning when the Nats designated Eddie Rosario for assignment, bringing an end to the veteran outfielder’s frustrating three months with the organization. The 32-year-old hit just .183 with seven homers, 26 RBIs and a .555 OPS in 67 games.

The Nationals had high hopes for Rosario when they signed him to a minor league deal in spring training, assuming all along he would make the Opening Day roster. He did make the club and earned a guaranteed $2 million in the process, with the potential to earn up to $2 million more via performance incentives.

Rosario actually started Opening Day in center field, ahead of Victor Robles, though he eventually settled into the two corner outfield positions, playing in right field while Lane Thomas was on the injured list and then shifting to left field once Thomas returned.

Rosario labored through a miserable April, finishing that month with only six hits in 68 at-bats, one homer and three RBIs. A notorious slow starter, he and club officials insisted things would turn around as the season progressed.

A day Nationals fans (and players, for that matter) have long awaited has arrived at last. Nearly two years after the deal went down, the top prospect acquired in the Juan Soto trade makes his major league debut. And he’ll be joined on the field by two other top young building blocks who arrived in the same trade with the Padres.

It’s James Wood Day on South Capitol Street, and this promises to be the organization’s most significant debut since Soto himself arrived in May 2018. Don’t be surprised, though, when the lineup is unveiled and you have to scroll down a bit to find Wood. Soto batted sixth in his first career start (after one game coming off the bench). Same for Ryan Zimmerman (after four games off the bench) and Anthony Rendon. Bryce Harper batted seventh in his debut. Trea Turner batted eighth (after four games off the bench).

Abrams, who also had to earn his way up the lineup, will be leading off as usual against Mets starter David Peterson. Despite the lefty-lefty matchup, here’s some good news: Abrams has an .889 OPS vs. left-handers this season, and Wood had a 1.089 OPS against lefties at Triple-A. Not bad.

MacKenzie Gore is on the mound, and he is especially excited to have this assignment tonight, knowing the significance of this game. The young lefty knows he needs to control his emotions and perform a lot better than he did last week in San Diego, when he allowed five runs in five innings during a highly charged game with the Padres. The Mets also got to Gore for six runs in 4 1/3 innings last month, so he should have plenty of motivation to be good tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv, MLB Network (outside D.C. market)
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 79 degrees, wind 11 mph in from left field

Washington Nationals top prospect, outfielder James Wood, is set to make his Major League debut tonight against the New York Mets, as the organization today announced the selection of his contract. In a corresponding move, Washington designated outfielder Eddie Rosario for assignment. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

The No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, according to Baseball America, Wood leads Washington’s Minor League system and ranks among all Minor League hitters in batting average (2^nd, .353), on-base percentage (2^nd, .463), OPS (2^nd, 1.058) and slugging percentage (9^th, .595). He hit .353 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 40 walks, 10 stolen bases and 44 runs scored in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester this year. According to Baseball America, he is the “Best Power Hitter” and the “Best Defensive Outfielder” in Washington’s Minor League system.

The 21-year-old reached base safely in 34 straight games from April 20 to June 27, the longest active streak in Minor League Baseball at the time and tied for the fourth-longest streak in the Minors this season. During the streak, Wood hit .367/.476/.625 with seven doubles, eight homers, 27 RBI, 26 walks, 24 strikeouts, five stolen bases and 26 runs scored. He also posted a 30-game on-base streak in 2023, making him the only player in Major or Minor League Baseball to reach safely in at least 30 straight games in both 2023 and 2024.

A native of Olney, Maryland, Wood was named the International League Player of the Week on May 13 after going 10-for-22 (.455) with a double and five home runs. He later earned Player of the Month honors after slashing .394/.506/.746 with four doubles, seven home runs, 22 RBI, 17 walks and 18 runs scored during the month of May.

The six-foot-seven, 234-pound left-handed hitting outfielder has recorded a career-high three multi-home run games this season after entering the year with just one in his professional career. On April 11 at Buffalo (TOR), he hit two home runs as a part of a season-high four-hit effort. Then, in the span of four days, he recorded two more multi-homer games, May 8 and May 11, at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY).

There has been no darker day in recent Nationals history – maybe in all of Nationals history – than Aug. 2, 2022, when general manager Mike Rizzo made the decision to trade Juan Soto to the Padres.

The only saving grace that day was the glimmer of hope that the blockbuster move to deal a 23-year-old superstar (plus Josh Bell) in exchange for six players (five of them highly regarded prospects) would someday pay off for the Nats.

That day hasn’t fully arrived in D.C. yet, but consider today the franchise’s most consequential day since that dreadful summer of 2022. James Wood, the consensus best prospect acquired in the Soto trade, is set to make his major league debut, most likely starting in left field for the opener of a four-game series against the Mets.

(That move became official this morning, by the way, with the Nationals announcing they have purchased Wood’s contract from Triple-A Rochester. Needing to clear a spot on their 40-man roster, they designated Eddie Rosario for assignment. The veteran outfielder never did fully turn his season around despite a brief hot streak in early May, finishing his time here with a .183 batting average, .226 on-base percentage, seven homers, 26 RBIs and .555 OPS in 67 games.)

When he takes the field at Nationals Park for the first time, Wood will look toward the infield and see good friend and fellow former Padres prospect CJ Abrams, now one of the most exciting young shortstops in baseball. And when he looks beyond Abrams to the mound he’ll see MacKenzie Gore, another one acquired in that trade and now one of the most promising young left-handers in the sport.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – From the outset of this season, there have been several anticipated developments that would signify major steps forward for the rebuilding Nationals. When would CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore become big-time big-leaguers? When would James Wood make his major league debut? And when would the club have enough quality pitching depth to bump Patrick Corbin from his longstanding spot in the rotation?

As the calendar now shifts to July, we’ve already seen the first question come into focus with the ascension of Abrams and Gore. And we’re about to see the second one answered Monday night when one of the top prospects in baseball makes his planned major league debut.

The answer to the third question, though, remains very much up in the air. And today’s events, both here at Tropicana Field and 1,300 miles to the north at Frontier Field in Rochester, did little to clear things up.

During a 5-0 loss to the Rays, Corbin put forth a performance that epitomizes his last four seasons: four runs allowed in six innings. It wasn’t good, but neither was it bad enough to warrant immediate removal from the rotation.

"I thought my stuff today was pretty good," the veteran lefty said. "Sometimes, it doesn't really translate to the scorecard."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – We’ve reached the final day of a long road trip, one that saw the Nationals play nine games in three cities in three time zones. They’ve gone 3-5 to this point, so a winning record is out of the question. But a victory today over the Rays at least would seal two series wins to combat the unfortunate sweep in San Diego.

Stymied at the plate for the better part of 15 innings, the Nats finally broke out in a big way in the top of the seventh Saturday, exploding for six runs in rapid fashion en route to an 8-1 win. They will look for more of that, and preferably earlier, this afternoon against Tampa Bay right-hander Taj Bradley. The 23-year-old strikes out a lot of batters (11.1 per nine innings) but he also serves up a lot of homers (10 in 49 2/3 innings). The Nationals aren’t exactly a power-laden bunch, but they might need to try to take advantage of any meatballs they do see at the plate today.

Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, gets the ball. Yes, he’s still part of the rotation, and that could continue if he continues to pitch effectively. Three weeks ago, the lefty looked like he was on his last legs, destined to be bumped to the bullpen. But over his last three starts, he’s got a 2.60 ERA and 0.981 WHIP. Josiah Gray makes another rehab start today in Rochester, so we’ll have to see how this all plays out once today’s results are in.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TAMPA BAY RAYS
Where: Tropicana Field
Gametime: 1:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
DH Harold Ramírez
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Joey Meneses
3B Ildemaro Vargas
C Drew Millas
CF Jacob Young

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Nationals’ 8-1 victory Saturday was made possible by a six-run explosion in the top of the seventh that turned a tight, low-scoring ballgame into a comfortable rout. But if not for that rally, Luis García Jr.’s bold baserunning play in the top of the fourth might well have been the deciding factor.

Standing on third with two outs in what was at the time a 1-1 game, García watched as Rays starter Aaron Civale bounced a pitch to Jacob Young. Though the ball squirted only a foot away from catcher Ben Rortvedt – and towards the mound, not foul territory – García took off for the plate and wound up scoring easily to give the Nats the lead in impressive fashion.

“I was anticipating, seeing the catcher get on his knees and reading the pitch,” García said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “As I saw it leave the hand of the pitcher, and that it was going toward the ground, I read the catcher. And when I saw him actually going after the ball, not the pitcher, I knew I had plenty of time.”

It was an ultra-aggressive move, one the Nationals might normally expect from the fastest players on the team (Young, CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas). But for García, it was about more than athleticism. It was about preparation and instincts in the moment.

“Awesome,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We watched him, and he got a good secondary lead and broke right away. It was a big play for us.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Josiah Gray got the Opening Day assignment based off his 2023 campaign. MacKenzie Gore got the hype based off his reputation and knack for the occasional dominant outing. But the member of the Nationals rotation who had the best spring and most looked poised to break out might well have been Jake Irvin.

Three months later, the right-hander might just be the best pitcher on the staff. And in a couple weeks, he might just end up representing the team at the All-Star Game.

As the season’s unofficial second half got under way this afternoon with Game 82, Irvin took the mound at Tropicana Field and kept doing what he did throughout the first half. With six superb innings of one-hit ball, he led the way and bought time for his teammates to get their bats going, which they finally did during a late explosion that turned a close game against the Rays into an 8-1 rout.

Irvin was stellar again, overcoming an early (and unlucky) home run surrendered to hold Tampa Bay hitless the rest of the way. And thanks to the kind of run support that hasn’t been provided regularly enough, he emerged with his sixth win while lowering his ERA to 3.03 (ninth-best in the National League) and WHIP to 1.061 (seventh-best in the NL).

"When he first got to spring training, he was impressive," catcher Keibert Ruiz said. "And he's been great for us this year."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – As scared as he was in the moment Friday when his right knee got tweaked and he fell to the ground in pain, Jesse Winker was confident by night’s end he wasn’t seriously injured and hoped he might even feel well enough to rejoin the Nationals lineup Saturday afternoon.

Sure enough, Winker is back in there today, starting in left field and batting third for the Nats against the Rays. His knee was taped up this afternoon as he went to the batting cage, but otherwise he looked no worse for wear.

“I’m thankful it’s not anything worse,” the 30-year-old said. “Because anytime you, as a professional athlete, go down without running into anything, it’s kind of a scary feeling.”

Winker was backtracking to try to catch Isaac Paredes’ first-inning fly ball Friday night when his cleat got caught in the artificial turf at Tropicana Field. He immediately felt his knee twist and was worried it was something bad. But with the ball still in the air, he kept tracking it back to the wall, where he made a circus catch as he fell to the ground.

Manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard jogged out from the dugout to check on Winker, who remained on the ground for some time. And even though he was able to get back on his feet and walk himself back to the dugout, he did so at an extremely slow pace and with a noticeable limp.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – We’ve still got more than two weeks to go until the All-Star break, but technically speaking the second half of the season begins today for the Nationals, who have now played 81 games. At 38-43, they’re probably a little better than most people expected, though they also have to acknowledge they could be even better given how good the pitching has been.

They’re also mired in a four-game losing streak and would love to turn that around this afternoon with a win over the Rays. The good news: They’ve got arguably their most consistent starter on the mound in Jake Irvin. The right-hander enters 5-6 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.087 WHIP. Most impressively, he has allowed two or fewer earned runs over six or more innings in 10 of his 16 starts. That’s consistency for you right there, the good kind.

At the plate, the Nats have to do more than they did during Friday night’s 3-1 loss. We’re waiting to find out about Jesse Winker’s status after he tweaked his right knee in the first inning Friday. If he can’t go, that’s a pretty notable loss in the heart of the lineup, and it will be up to others to pick up the slack against right-hander Aaron Civale, who enters with a 5.20 ERA and hasn’t been credited with a win since April 9.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at TAMPA BAY RAYS
Where: Tropicana Field
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
1B Joey Meneses
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Harold Ramírez
C Keibert Ruiz
3B Nick Senzel
CF Jacob Young