{"id":292561,"date":"2026-09-23T22:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T22:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/292561\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T22:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T22:24:16","slug":"phillies-top-prospect-gage-wood-wont-pitch-in-double-a-readings-championship-series-phillies-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/292561\/","title":{"rendered":"Phillies top prospect Gage Wood won\u2019t pitch in Double-A Reading\u2019s championship series \u2013 Phillies Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Gage Wood won\u2019t pitch in the Eastern League championship series. (Logan Gehman\/Phillies Nation)<\/p>\n

READING, Pa. \u2014 Double-A Reading\u2019s pursuit of an Eastern League title will have to come without the Phillies\u2019 top pitching prospect for the final series of the season.<\/p>\n

Right-hander Gage Wood, a first-round pick in last year\u2019s draft, will not appear in the team\u2019s best-of-three championship series, Fightins manager Al Pedrique said before Tuesday\u2019s Game 2 against Erie at FirstEnergy Stadium. After beating the SeaWolves on the road to take a 1-0 series lead on Sunday, Reading will send former Penn Quakers righty Ryan Dromboski to the mound on Tuesday night with a chance to clinch. Right-hander Cody Bowker is listed as the club\u2019s probable starter for a potential Game 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something that we\u2019re going to handle internally,\u201d Pedrique said of Wood not participating in the championship series. \u201cThat\u2019s something that the organization thought was best for Wood, not to pitch right now. We\u2019re happy. We respect the decision. We just got to move forward, and that\u2019s what it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood, the No. 1 Phillies prospect in Phillies Nation\u2018s latest rankings<\/a>, started for the Fightins in their playoff opener last Tuesday, allowing three runs over four innings in a 21-4 Reading blowout victory. He was then transferred to the development list on Sunday in a move that took him off the team\u2019s active roster. Pedrique said that Wood feels \u201cfine.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old Wood began his first full season as a professional with Single-A Clearwater, then made the jump straight to Reading in May while skipping over High-A. He had a 3.42 ERA in eight starts for the Threshers. While still displaying his electric arsenal, he was not as productive at Double-A. He posted a 4.72 ERA in 17 regular-season outings for the Fightins.<\/p>\n

In college at Arkansas last year, Wood threw just 37 2\/3 innings as he was limited due to a shoulder injury. He pitched an additional two innings in the minor leagues after he was drafted. In 2026, Wood has thrown 99 innings between the regular season and playoffs. The 6-foot starter with a power fastball has not thrown more than five innings in a start this season.<\/p>\n

Asked if Wood\u2019s exclusion from the plans for the championship series was due to an injury or innings limit, Pedrique declined to provide further detail while maintaining that the young pitcher is \u201cfine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather just keep it internally,\u201d Pedrique said. \u201cI\u2019d rather not make any comments about it. He\u2019s fine. Like I said, there was a decision made from the top, and we\u2019ll respect that. And we got plenty of guys on the team that can help us contribute and go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fightins, who finished with the best second-half record in their division at 40-28, bounced back from a 30-39 first half to earn their first playoff appearance since 2019. Reading has not won an outright Eastern League championship since 1995, and its last title came in 2001, when the franchise was declared a co-champion following the cancellation of the finals.<\/p>\n

While they won\u2019t have Wood on the field, the Fightins are in an excellent position to claim the Eastern League over Erie, with two tries to get one win at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud of this team,\u201d Pedrique said, \u201cthe whole coaching staff, medical people, conditioning, players. I would say: great year, great second half. And now to put ourselves in this situation: winning tonight, we clinch and win the championship, that\u2019s outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

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