Top prospect James Wood singles in his first major league at-bat for the Nationals against the Mets

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prized prospect James Wood made his major league debut Monday night for the Washington Nationals and singled in his first plate appearance against the New York Mets.

The 21-year-old outfielder finished 1 for 4 with a walk as Washington lost 9-7 in 10 innings. Afterward, he was asked for one word to describe his first game.

“Unique,” he said. “It’s just like the first time doing something, something you’ve never done before, playing in front of a crowd like that and obviously in the major leagues.”

The 6-foot-7 Wood, from nearby Olney, Maryland, was hitting .353 at Triple-A Rochester before getting called up Monday. He was acquired in the August 2022 blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego.

Wood played left field and batted sixth in his debut. He wore No. 50.

“It's unreal,” he said before the game. "Just being able to play for the team I grew up around and watching, it's a blessing.”

Wood is the third-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. The 234-pound slugger had 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and a 1.058 OPS in the minors.

“He's done really well at Triple-A,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “I talked to him a little bit today about his routine, stick with his routine and really just be where your feet are and have fun.”

Wood estimated he’d have “more than 50” friends and family members in attendance for his debut.

“It’s cool just being back home and having my family here and trying to soak it all in,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s still baseball, so just trying to look at it that way.”

Wood joined left-hander MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams in a lineup featuring three players who came to the Nationals in the Soto trade.

Washington began the day just four games out of the final NL wild-card spot despite ranking 11th in the league in batting average (.235), 14th in home runs (68) and 12th in runs (341).

“We felt like he could give us a little boost on offense,” Martinez said. “We're struggling scoring some runs and think his bat will definitely help us. But we felt like he was ready. He checked all the boxes down there.”

Wood's contract was selected from Rochester. In a corresponding roster move, outfielder Eddie Rosario was designated for assignment.

After receiving a standing ovation from the crowd of 26,719 in the bottom of the second inning, Wood fell behind 1-2, worked the count full and then lined an opposite-field single into left-center against Mets starter David Peterson.

“I was just kind of looking for a fastball,” Wood said. “His fastball runs, it’s got a run and sink on it. I was trying to push it up and away, especially after I swung through the one down. And then I was just able to get one.”

Wood struck out in the fourth, grounded out in the seventh, reached on a two-base throwing error by reliever Jake Diekman in the ninth, and walked in the 10th.

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FILE - Washington Nationals Futures' James Wood plays during an exhibition baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Washington. Nationals top prospect James Wood is expected to make his major league debut Monday night, July 1, against the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, FIle)

Washington Nationals' James Wood advances to third on a hit by Keibert Ruiz during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Nationals' James Wood, right, slides into second base ahead of a throw to New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, left, during the ninth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Washington Nationals left fielder James Wood throws to third after a hit by New York Mets' Mark Vientos during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Nationals' James Wood jogs back to the dugout during the thirrd inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Washington Nationals' James Wood, left, reacts after notching a base hit in his first major league at-bat during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Washington Nationals' James Wood, left, reacts after notching a base hit in his first major league at-bat during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Washington Nationals' James Wood drops his bat as he hits a single in his first major league at-bat during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Nationals' James Wood, right, connects with a pitch during his first major league at-bat during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service strategy released Wednesday is meant to prop up declining spotted owl populations in Oregon, Washington state and California. The Associated Press obtained details in advance.

Documents released by the agency show up to about 450,000 barred owls would be shot over three decades after the birds from the eastern U.S. encroached into the West Coast territory of two owls: northern spotted owls and California spotted owls. The smaller spotted owls have been unable to compete with the invaders, which have large broods and need less room to survive than spotted owls.

Past efforts to save spotted owls focused on protecting the forests where they live, sparking bitter fights over logging but also helping slow the birds' decline. The proliferation of barred owls in recent years is undermining that earlier work, officials said.

“Without actively managing barred owls, northern spotted owls will likely go extinct in all or the majority of their range, despite decades of collaborative conservation efforts," said Fish and Wildlife Service Oregon state supervisor Kessina Lee.

The notion of killing one bird species to save another has divided wildlife advocates and conservationists. It's reminiscent of past government efforts to save West Coast salmon by killing sea lions and cormorants that prey on the fish, and to preserve warblers by killing cowbirds that lay eggs in warbler nests.

Some advocates grudgingly accepted the barred owl removal strategy; others said it's reckless diversion from needed forest preservation.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service is turning from protector of wildlife to persecutor of wildlife,” said Wayne Pacelle, founder of the advocacy group Animal Wellness Action. He predicted the program would fail because the agency won't be able to keep more barred owls from migrating into areas where others have been killed.

The shootings would likely begin next spring, officials said. Barred owls would be lured using megaphones to broadcast recorded owl calls, then shot with shotguns. Carcasses would be buried on site.

The birds already are being killed by researchers in some spotted owl habitats, with about 4,500 removed since 2009, said Robin Bown, barred owl strategy leader for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Those targeted included barred owls in California’s Sierra Nevada region, where the animals have only recently arrived and officials want to stop populations from taking hold.

In other areas where barred owls are more established, officials aim to reduce their numbers but acknowledge shooting owls is unlikely to eliminate them entirely.

Supporters include the American Bird Conservancy and other conservation groups.

Barred owls don’t belong in the West, said American Bird Conservancy Vice President Steve Holmer. Killing them is unfortunate, he added, but reducing their numbers could allow them to live alongside spotted owls over the long term.

“As the old forests are allowed to regrow, hopefully coexistence is possible and maybe we don’t need to do as much” shooting, Holmer said.

The killings would reduce North American barred owl numbers by less than 1% annually, officials said. That compares with potential extinction for spotted owls, should the problem go unaddressed.

Because barred owls are aggressive hunters, removing them also could help other West Coast species that they've been preying on such as salamanders and crayfish, said Tom Wheeler, director of the Environmental Protection Information Center, a California-based conservation group.

Public hunting of barred owls wouldn't be allowed. The wildlife service would designate government agencies, landowners, American Indian tribes or companies to carry out the killings. Shooters would have to provide documentation of training or experience in owl identification and firearm skills.

The publishing in the coming days of a final environmental study on the proposal will open a 30-day comment period before a final decision is made.

The barred owl plan follows decades of conflict between conservationists and timber companies, which cut down vast areas of older forests where spotted owls reside.

Early efforts to save the birds culminated in logging bans in the 1990s that roiled the timber industry and its political supporters in Congress.

Yet spotted owl populations continued declining after barred owls started showing up on the West Coast several decades ago. Across the region at least half of spotted owls have been lost, with declines of 75% or more in some study areas, said Katherine Fitzgerald, who leads the wildlife service's northern spotted owl recovery program.

Opponents say the mass killing of barred owls would cause severe disruption to forest ecosystems and could lead to other species — including spotted owls — being mistakenly shot. They’ve also challenged the notion that barred owls don’t belong on the West Coast, characterizing their expanding range as a natural ecological phenomenon.

Researchers say barred owls moved westward by one of two routes: across the Great Plains, where trees planted by settlers gave them a foothold in new areas; or via Canada’s boreal forests, which have become more hospitable as temperatures rise because of climate change.

Northern spotted owls are federally protected as a threatened species. Federal officials determined in 2020 that their continued decline merited an upgrade to the more critical designation of “endangered.” But the Fish and Wildlife Service refused to do so at the time, saying other species took priority.

California spotted owls were proposed for federal protections last year. A decision is pending.

Under former President Donald Trump, government officials stripped habitat protections for spotted owls at the behest of the timber industry. Those were reinstated under President Joe Biden after the Interior Department said political appointees under Trump relied on faulty science to justify their weakening of protections.

FILE - A barred owl is shown in the woods outside Philomath, Ore., Dec. 13, 2017. To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

FILE - A female barred owl sits on a branch in the wooded hills, Dec. 13, 2017, outside Philomath, Ore. To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

FILE - Wildlife technician Jordan Hazan records data in a lab from a male barred owl he shot earlier in the night, Oct. 24, 2018, in Corvallis, Ore. U.S. wildlife officials want to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls in coming decades as part of a controversial plan to help spotted owl populations. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)