James Wood Earns Another MLB Honor Ahead of Second All-Star Game Appearance
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Washington Nationals slugger James Wood is set to play in the second All-Star Game of his career.
He'll be competing alongside two of his teammates, as CJ Abrams will be the starting shortstop for the National League side, while left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin has had a major league comeback for the ages with an incredible first half of the season that earned him this All-Star nod.
This trio will try to make their mark in a stadium that they are familiar with, as this showcase event is being played at Citizens Bank Park. But before Wood takes the field on Tuesday, he also earned another honor from Major League Baseball after he was named the NL Player of the Week.
James Wood Brings Home Second NL Player of the Week Award
Wood won this award after he went 10-for-20 with five of those hits being home runs. He also had eight RBIs, 11 scored runs and nine walks drawn, which was an incredible stretch of play that pushed the slugger to a first half slash line of .279/.410/.575 with 28 home runs and 64 RBIs. He enters the Midsummer Classic leading the National League in runs scored (89), on-base percentage (.410), slugging percentage (.575) and OPS+ (171).
This wasn't the first time Wood took home NL Player of the Week honors, either. Back on April 13, Major League Baseball handed the award to the Nationals star, as he went 12-for-22 with three homers, eight RBIs and eight runs scored during that week that also involved a rare sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers.
James Wood Looking to Leave His Mark on 2026 All-Star Game
That Player of the Week Award shows just how red-hot Wood is entering this All-Star Game. And based on his recent form, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him have a memorable moment in this year's showcase event.
Wood competed in last year's Midsummer Classic as a debutant, but he only got one at-bat after he entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. With a runner on first base, he had an opportunity to leave his mark. But he grounded into a force out and finished with an 0-for-1 stat line.
With another season of experience under his belt -- and entering with the form he's in -- a different result could take place on Tuesday whenever National League manager Dave Roberts decides to put the Nationals star into this contest.
The 2026 All-Star Game is scheduled to get underway at 8 p.m. ET and will air on FOX.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai