Spring Training is now kicking off for teams all around baseball, but there has already been some difficult news for some clubs to stomach this early on. For some teams, whether it be the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, or New York Mets, the bad injury luck has already struck them, and the season still hasn't even begun yet.
All 3 of those teams lost one of their star players to similar injuries, and for one of those injured players, it might have opened the door for one of our beloved Washington Nationals players. That trio of teams were dealt with some difficult news that Jackson Holliday for the Orioles, Corbin Carroll for the Diamondbacks, and Francisco Lindor for the Mets all are dealing with hamate bone injuries that will sideline them all for awhile.
Lindor had already been announced as missing the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico despite previously being named their captain, and now the Carroll injury is putting Team USA in a similar spot. While Carroll was not a captain for Team USA, he was projected to be a starter as the Americans chase their first WBC title in a long time.
However, his injury has now opened up a need for another outfielder on the club, and it appears as if James Wood is now on a short list for potential replacements. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, who has a pretty good pulse on Team USA and the WBC, Wood is one of 7 possible candidates who could replace Carroll on the team's active roster when the tournament starts in just a few short weeks.
Alongside Wood, he finds himself on a list including Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians, Tyler Soderstrom from the Athletics, Riley Greene from the Detroit Tigers, Roman Anthony from the Boston Red Sox, Wyatt Langford from the Texas Rangers, and Kyle Stowers from the Miami Marlins. No matter which direction Team USA choose to go in, they will be picking up a young star outfielder, but hopefully Wood gets a chance to shine on the big stage.
For Wood, who has yet to play any real meaningful games in his professional career, it would be great to see how he performs on a big stage, and it would give fans another reason to tune into the WBC to see one of their bright young stars alongside Harry Ford, who will be suiting up for Team Great Britain.
Wood certainly has a very good argument due to his power-speed combination that no other player on the list except maybe Langford possesses, and his patient eye at the plate and calm heartbeat could make him a coveted pick. We will see how it all plays out, but we should expect a final decision in the coming days from USA Baseball officials.
Do you want to see James Wood get an opportunity to play for Team USA? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.