Nationals' Slugger Wins Second NL Player of the Week Award

Like his American League counterpart, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals All-Star James Wood has been named National League Player of the Week for the second time.

The award comes as Wood put together another masterful week at the dish. In six games, Wood went 10-for-20 with five home runs, eight RBI, and 11 runs scored. While players like Shohei Ohtani get the headlines in the National League, Wood is quietly leading the NL in runs scored (89), on-base percentage (.410), and slugging (.575). His .985 OPS leads the NL and is second in MLB only to Houston's Yordan Alvarez. Rice is in third place with a .971 OPS.

Your National League Player of the Week is James Wood!https://t.co/0fV4Uy7n8B

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) July 13, 2026

In a year when the Nationals were completely written off before the season started, Wood has kept the team competitive and on the cusp of an NL Wild Card spot. Washington sits in fourth place in the NL East division, ahead of the New York Mets, an organization that has about four times the payroll that the Nationals do. The Nationals also sit just four games back of the final NL Wild Card spot, a position that looks worse now that they dropped three straight games to Rice's Yankees ahead of the MLB All-Star break.

JAMES WOOD MOST LEADOFF HOMERS IN A SINGLE SEASON IN FRANCHISE HISTORY pic.twitter.com/FqgKBqif9U

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 12, 2026

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Speaking of the All-Star Game, Wood will be playing in his second Midsummer Classic in three years. While he was not voted in as a starter, Wood was deservedly added to the roster.

This is Wood's second NL Player of the Week award, with the first being back in April. For the season, Wood has 28 home runs, 64 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in a league-leading 97 games played. Although there will always be stiff-competition with Ohtani around, Wood is carving out an MVP-caliber season and establishing himself as a true superstar in the league.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 8:15 PM.