The Washington Nationals got a dose of optimism surrounding outfielder James Wood, starting pitcher Connelly Early this week
With all the attention shifting toward what 2027 and the rest of the short-term future looks like for the Washington Nationals with the playoffs a growing afterthought, the status of two key players remains a question mark with a chance to see both left handed pitcher Connelly Early and outfielder James Wood in September.
The Nationals are targeting Sept. 8 for the next scheduled rehab outing for left handed pitcher Connelly Early, marking a notable step in his progression. Early arrived in Washington prior to the trade deadline as an expected boost in the rotation, though he arrived sidelined since June 30 after expressing soreness in his left elbow. The young ace followed through on his next Aug. 3 rehab outing before president of baseball operations Paul Toboni revealed his rehab program had been paused after expressing discomfort during that outing. Though it's an encouraging sign with the hope that a debut materializes over the final month of the regular season, an exact timeframe remains unclear.
The potential arrival of Early adds optimism in 2026 along with another building block to address the biggest question mark ahead of 2027, yet the news also came with a more imminent timeframe for outfielder James Wood.
News of Early's arrival came roughly one week after Butera noted that outfielder James Wood has slowly progressed from his left oblique strain that has kept him sidelined since Aug. 3. Though the team has remained patient with the two-time All Star outfielder since then, Wood was running the bases inside Nationals Park this week while Butera noted he will not require a rehab assignment prior to rejoining the team. Similar to Early, a timeframe for a return remains unclear though Butera noted that it may not be much longer until he's activated contingent on his batting practice session. Butera said on Saturday that if Wood continues to trend well, the chance to see him back on the field over the next few days is a possibility.
CJ Abrams was also previously sidelined, but has made his return to the lineup in the designated hitter spot this week. After all the noise about a potential move to second base, that has yet to materialize despite Nasim Nunez adjusting to shortstop.
The Nationals are coming off a convincing 9-2 win on Friday night that sets the stage for a chance at a three game win streak on Saturday afternoon, the team's first since sweeping the Cincinnati Reds at the beginning of the month. Cade Cavalli is set to take the mound in game two of the four game series against the Miami Marlins with first pitch set for 4:05 PM.
