Nationals Slugger James Wood Snaps Frustrating Homerless Drought

The Washington Nationals All-Star led off Saturday game against San Francisco and ended a frustrating homerless drought.

Aug 9, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) jogs towards the dugout after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood came out of the All-Star break with a home run hangover.

The most consistent player in the lineup for the first half of the season, Wood struggled to find his footing to start the second half.

In his first 18 games post-break, Wood slashed .130/.221/.174 with no home runs and two RBI. For a player that has had consistent success at the MLB level since he arrived in 2024, this was his most consistent slump.

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Well, on Saturday, he broke out of it just a little bit and the Nationals hope that leads to a strong finish to the season.

James Wood’s Homerless Drought Ends

LEADOFF WOOD pic.twitter.com/GERCDmzzfn

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 9, 2025

Wood batted leadoff on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants and starting pitcher Carson Whisenhunt. It only took Wood three pitchers for him to his hit his first home run in a month.

Yes, it’s been a month since Wood hit a home run. In fact, it was a month to the day.

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On July 9, he hit a home run in the Nationals’ 8-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. That was four games before the start of the All-Star break.

Like the Cardinals game, Wood contributed to a win. Josh Bell and Paul DeJong also homered for the Nats, who won, 4-2. Wood finished 2-for-5 with two RBI, which included an opposite field double in the sixth that scored Daylen Lile.

Earlier this season, he became the third player in MLB history to have at least 33 home runs, 101 walks, 110 singles and 34 doubles in their first 180 career games. The other two were Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams and the player whose trade led Wood to Washington — Juan Soto.

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James Wood This Season

Jul 23, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood (29) singles against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Nationals Park. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

For most of the season, Wood has been one of Major League Baseball’s ascending young stars.

Entering Saturday’s game he was slashing .254/.356/.475 with 24 home runs and 71 RBI. He was named to the All-Star Game for the first time and participated in the Home Run Derby as well.

In his first full MLB season, he’s established himself as one of the core pieces for the Nationals moving forward. He’s also built on the 79 games he played last season when he slashed 264/.354/.427 with nine home runs and 41 RBI.

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Wood was the San Diego Padres’ second-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He was one of several players the Nationals acquired in 2022 in a massive trade for Soto and Josh Bell, the latter of which returned to Washington this season.

All but one of those acquired players has made their MLB debut.

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