Mr. Wood is going to Washington.

The Nationals called up MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 3 overall prospect James Wood to make his Major League debut on Monday. That comes in a Washington home game as the Nats open a four-game set against the Mets.

• Watch Wood's debut on MLB Network, MLB.TV (6:45 p.m. ET Monday)

Acquired from the Padres in the 2022 blockbuster that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell in the opposite direction, the 21-year-old outfielder brings a jolt of excitement to a Nationals team that enters Monday with a 39-44 record but sits only four games back in the National League Wild Card race.

Wood leads Triple-A qualifiers with his .353 average, .463 on-base percentage and 1.058 OPS over 52 games for Rochester. He¡¯s added 10 homers and 10 stolen bases over that span, making him one of 20 players to reach double-digits in those categories at the Minors¡¯ highest level. He¡¯s achieved that despite missing nearly a month after suffering right hamstring tightness on May 23. He returned to the Red Wings' lineup on June 18 and went 8-for-24 (.333) with a homer and five walks over his last seven games.

The left-handed slugger is seen as one of the best power-speed threats in all of prospectdom, and his pop should especially play in the Majors.

• Wood's top moments on path to The Show

Among the 201 Triple-A players with at least 200 plate appearances this season, Wood tops the group with a 95.1 mph average exit velocity and 59.1 percent hard-hit rate. Only three qualified Major Leaguers have higher average EVs this season, and they¡¯re among the best power hitters on the entire planet: Aaron Judge (97.0), Shohei Ohtani (95.5) and Oneil Cruz (95.2). The highest average EV by a qualified National in 2024 is Eddie Rosario¡¯s 90.6. Line up the highest singular exit velocities by players from Washington and Rochester this summer, and Wood is responsible for nine of the top 12 at the two levels, topping out at a 115.3 mph single on April 10.

Wood¡¯s power comes in large part because of his tall frame, and he joins Judge and Cruz as the only 6-foot-7 position players in the Majors this season. Starting from a slightly open stance on the left side, Wood begins with a leg lift in his load and stays square to the ball, allowing for that thump to play. His 52.4 percent ground-ball rate this season does bring some concern, but the contact is generally so loud that even wormburners squeak through for hits, leading to the high average he¡¯s showcased with Rochester.

The 2021 second-rounder¡¯s biggest improvement at the plate this season has come in his contact rate.

Wood struck out 33.7 percent of the time with Double-A Harrisburg a year ago but cut that down to 18.2 percent at Triple-A heading into his MLB debut. While the Triple-A automated ball-strike system has trimmed strikeouts for many hitters at the level, it¡¯s worth noting that Wood has done a much better job of making contact against softer stuff this season. His whiff rate against sliders dropped from 44.4 percent at Double-A in 2023 to 21.7 percent this summer, while his changeup whiff rate moved from 49.5 percent to 36.7.

Those improvements in contact have made him virtually split-resistant in 2024 with a .361/.478/.569 line over 178 plate appearances against righties and a .326/.415/.674 line in 53 plate appearances against lefties.

• Get to know Nationals top prospect James Wood

Wood also uses his long limbs to eat up ground on the basepaths and in the outfield. He¡¯s recorded home-to-first times around 4.1 seconds with Rochester -- equivalent to 60-grade speed -- and he¡¯s notched 11 Bolts (competitive runs at or above 30 ft/sec) in 2024. Jacob Young (31) is the only Nationals player with more Bolts this season, meaning Wood will become one of Washington¡¯s fastest players upon arrival.

Defensively, the Maryland native has played all three outfield spots during his career. His long strides and above-average arm strength would make him a fit in center field, but, notably, he¡¯s only played left field since returning to the Rochester lineup, partly in deference to the recently promoted Dylan Crews (MLB's No. 5 prospect), who has taken over in the middle of the grass.

The prospect¡¯s ascension could push Jesse Winker from left to DH and squeezed out veteran Rosario, a veteran who has managed just a .555 OPS and -1.1 bWAR after signing on a Minor League deal back in March. Wood could also spell Young in center when needed.

No matter the role, the Nationals¡¯ top prospect arrived in the capital city less than two years after he was acquired as a Single-A prospect in one of the biggest blockbusters in modern baseball history. That deal was made with Washington¡¯s future in mind, and on Monday, the future becomes the present in DC.