With quad 'calmed down,' Wood singles in spring debut

POST ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Burgeoning star James Wood said his first Grapefruit League appearance of the spring ¡°felt good,¡± and Nationals manager Dave Martinez thought Wood looked good on Friday during Washington's 7-0 loss to the New York Mets.

¡°He had some good at-bats,¡± Martinez said. ¡°The walk was really good. He had a good day.¡±

Serving as the Nationals' designated hitter, Wood ripped a third-inning single through the right side and walked in his final plate appearance in the fifth, part of a 1-for-2 afternoon.

Though he was lifted for a pinch-runner following the walk, Wood has been cleared to run the bases without restrictions.

¡°I feel good now,¡± Wood said following the game. ¡°Just good seeing some arms and seeing some fans and just playing again.¡±

The 22-year-old has been hampered by right quad tendinitis, a pain that he first experienced during the offseason that had lingered into the start of Spring Training. There is no structural damage, and neither Wood nor the Nationals seem overly concerned about this issue plaguing him into the season.

Wood described the injury as having ¡°calmed down a lot more¡± since the start of camp. For now, however, Martinez is encouraging Wood to play it smart.

¡°I don't like telling a player to back off,¡± Martinez said. ¡°So I tell him, ¡®Hey, do what you can. Be smart about what you're doing, right?¡¯ So, he understands that we're going to take baby steps. We've got a long way to go, but we want to get him ready for the season with no issues.¡±

While the early Spring Training game didn't exactly have the feel of a regular season contest, Wood still enjoyed some of the adrenaline.

¡°Stepping into the box, digging in, felt about as close as you are going to get,¡± Wood said.

The quad tendinitis doesn't bother Wood while hitting, but some defensive actions trigger the pain. As a result, Wood has been limited in defensive drills this spring.

That's a bit inconvenient considering the physically gifted Wood struggled at times while learning to play left field at the big league level last season.

¡°We haven't been able to do a whole lot with him out there yet, but we will,¡± Martinez said. ¡°He understands that he needs to be better, so we're just going to continue to build off what he did in September last year.¡±

At the plate is where Wood really shines, so there is a bit of an upside to his spring limitations.

¡°I could hit all day,¡± Wood said. ¡°You have to stop me. I love baseball. It's what I do.¡±

Acquired from San Diego in the Juan Soto deal at the 2022 Trade Deadline, Wood made his Major League debut on July 1 this past season. During the final months he hit .264 with an OPS of .781. He mashed nine homers and drove in 41. The 6-foot-7, 234-pounder also stole 14 bases in 79 games. Known for making hard contact, more than 50 of Wood's batted balls left the bat with an exit velocity of better than 105 mph, according to Baseball Savant.

While its been suggested that the left-handed-hitting Wood's power numbers could improve if he pulled the ball more, the Nationals aren't asking him to change his focus or swing, believing more pulled missiles will develop naturally.

¡°He's going to get there, and we've seen that a little bit when he wants to turn on the ball,¡± Martinez said. "I mean, he's hitting balls to left-center field like a right-handed hitter.¡±

Friday's performance at the plate pleased Wood.

¡°I kind of just look at the process, like swing decisions, like if I'm on time,¡± Wood said. ¡°I felt like I swung at good pitches.¡±

Wood is expected to DH in at least one more game before making his next spring progression.

If that outing goes well, Wood will likely begin playing left field in Minor League games on back fields. Relaxed rules in those games allow the Nationals to manage his workload in part by letting Wood rest for an inning or two, then re-enter the game.