Nationals Should Get James Wood Back 'In the next Few Days'

As the Washington Nationals have faded during the month of August, one thing has mainly stood out.

Their offense, which had easily been the highest-scoring operation in the MLB since the early part of the season, had cooled off in a major way. Some of that has to do with trading away Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. However, the obvious departure from the lineup was superstar slugger James Wood.

In the midst of yet another impressive year, Wood suffered an oblique strain that landed him on the injured list back on Aug. 4. His recovery has been slower than both sides anticipated. But it sounds like he's on the verge of making his return.

Nationals Expect James Wood Back Soon

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, manager Blake Butera said ahead of Saturday's game that, "We should see him again in the next few days."

That was prefaced with "if things keep trending in the right direction." But based on the fact that Wood went through full batting practice on Friday and did some running work on the field, it seems like he is getting closer to getting fully healthy. Washington isn't planning on sending him out for a rehab assignment, so whenever they deem him to be fit, then he will return to the big league roster.

It goes without saying, that will be a massive development for the Nationals if and when that comes to fruition. The lineup has been able to put up some high-scoring performances at times while he's been on the shelf, but they aren't close to being the same offense without him. And as Washington tries to finish this season out on a high note, having Wood healthy and available should help with that.

James Wood Needs RBI Flurry for Career-Highs in Notable Statistical Categories

If the season ended right now, Wood would finish with a career-best slash line in all three of those categories (.265 batting average, .393 on-base percentage and .535 slugging percentage). His 30 home runs are one shy of the mark he set last year, but that feels like a number he's going to eclipse when he returns to action.

However, the one single-season marker that he might have a hard time breaking is RBIs, as he currently has 73 while his career-best figure is the 94 he had last year. Wood will need to drive in 22 runs to set career-highs in all of those notable statistical categories, which is something he has only done once since getting called up to the bigs (May of 2025 when he had 23 RBIs).

The 23-year-old has had 20 RBIs in a month twice this season, as the first instance came in April when he had 21 and the second came in July when he had 20. There's a chance Wood gets hot and goes on a tear to close out this campaign, which would not only help him stamp the 2026 season as his best to date, but it would also help the Nationals finish on a strong note.

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