The Nationals got James Wood back on Wednesday, and they made room by designating left-hander Tom Cosgrove for assignment.
Wood was activated from the 10-day injured list after missing the past month with an oblique strain. To clear a spot on the active roster, Washington moved Cosgrove off the 40-man. The club also brought up right-hander Riley Cornelio from Triple-A Rochester, with Andrew Pinckney going to Triple-A after last night’s win over Atlanta.
For Cosgrove, the move ends a brief and uneven run in Washington. The 30-year-old joined the organization in an early July trade with Houston that sent cash back to the Astros, then reached the majors a week later. His first stretch with the Nationals looked promising: in his first 11 outings, he worked 10 2/3 innings and allowed only two runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out eight.
It didn’t hold. Over his last several appearances, Cosgrove gave up 11 runs in just 5 2/3 innings, pushing his season ERA to 7.71 across 16 1/3 frames.
Cosgrove has now appeared in the majors in each of the past four seasons, with stops also in San Diego and Chicago. In 86 1/3 big league innings overall, he owns a 4.59 ERA with a 20.5% strikeout rate and an 8.6% walk rate.
The underlying stuff has changed, too. When he debuted with the Padres in 2023, Cosgrove was sitting 92 mph with his four-seamer and 91 mph with his sinker.
This season, those numbers have fallen to 88.6 mph on the four-seamer and 88.3 mph on the two-seamer. He’s also had trouble once runners reach base, stranding just 49.5% of baserunners since the start of 2024, well below the league average of around 72%.
Because Cosgrove is out of minor league options, any team that claims him would have to keep him in the majors. If he clears waivers, he can refuse an outright assignment and become a free agent.
Wood’s return gives Washington back one of its biggest bats. The 23-year-old has hit 30 homers for a second straight season even though he has played only 114 games so far.
He arrived in the Juan Soto deal and has quickly become a centerpiece for the Nationals, making the NL All-Star team in each of the last two seasons. Since Opening Day 2025, he is batting .260/.368/.500 with 61 homers and 32 stolen bases in 1224 plate appearances.
He also leads the National League with a .393 on-base percentage and 100 runs scored.
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