Nationals Infielder Takes Home MLB's First Play of the Week Honor
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It has been a great start to the season for the Washington Nationals.
Not only did they go into Wrigley Field and take two out of three from the Chicago Cubs, but they turned around and won the first contest of their three-game road set against the Philadelphia Phillies in decisive fashion.
Joey Wiemer has been the early story for this team, as he not only made franchise history with the hot start he had to start his Nationals tenure. But he also etched his name into the MLB record books when he tied Carlos Delgado by reaching base safely in his first 10 consecutive plate appearances to begin a season. However, Wiemer isn't the only one who has been impressive thus far, as Nasim Nunez's stellar defense at shortstop earned him MLB's first Play of the Week honor.
Nasim Nunez Flashing the Leather
All signs pointed to the 25-year-old getting much more playing time this season. While he was expected to primarily play second base when Luis Garcia Jr. got penciled in at first base, it wasn't going to be a surprise to see him at shortstop since the majority of his big league experience has come at that position.
Nunez not only continues to show that he's a high-end defender whenever he's on the field. But the play he made that earned him the first Play of the Week award from Major League Baseball was extraordinary.
The dive, the barrel roll and the throw 😮💨
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2026
Nasim Nuñez earns the first Play of the Week in 2026! pic.twitter.com/i5LOVsG8Wr
In Game 2 against the Cubs with the Nationals down 10-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Michael Busch was in the box for Chicago. He ripped a ball that should have gotten in between Nunez at short and Brady House at third. But Nunez laid out for the hard-hit grounder, stopped it, then contorted his body and threw the ball over House as he was falling down to get Busch out at first.
That type of effort in that situation shows how locked in Nunez is when he's in the field. It also is an example of the culture that this new regime wants to build, as he made an incredible physical effort to get a ball despite the fact that Washington had little chance to win.
Nunez Has Become Piece of the Puzzle for Nationals
Defense has never been the question when it comes to Nunez. That part of his game is stamped. But what's going to take him to being more than a role player is his ability to be consistent on offense, which is something the Nationals are hoping takes place.
So far, he's gone 2-for-10 across his three games with a walk, three strikeouts and two RBIs. Using him at second base and shortstop over the course of the long season as more than just a defensive sub will be determined by him increasing his numbers at the plate. Washington needs for him to be effective when he's in the lineup for him to continue being a daily piece of this puzzle.
How Nunez does on offense is something that will come to fruition at a later date. But for now, he can enjoy taking home the first Play of the Week award due to his stellar defense.
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