Jake Cronenworth’s late-season tear just got him league-wide recognition.
The Padres infielder was named National League Player of the Week on Monday after a seven-game stretch that saw him collect 13 hits, the most in the majors during the award period. He hit .464 and posted a .516 on-base percentage, a .786 slugging percentage and a 1.302 OPS as San Diego kept pushing toward the postseason.
Cronenworth finished the week with one of his loudest outings of the year. On Sunday, he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI in a 7-3 win over the Miami Marlins that completed a three-game sweep.
That performance marked the fourth multi-homer game of his career and the fourth time he has driven in at least five runs in a game.
The hot streak has been broader than one big night. Cronenworth had five multi-hit games during the week and has now hit safely in 10 straight games. Over that stretch, he’s batting .400 with 16 hits, two home runs and nine RBI.
It’s the second time Cronenworth has taken home the weekly honor. His first came in June 2021.
The recognition also keeps the Padres’ recent run of weekly awards going. Jackson Merrill won NL Player of the Week last week, giving San Diego back-to-back winners. MLB said it’s the first time Padres players have claimed the award in consecutive weeks since Eric Hosmer and Joe Musgrove did it in April 2021.
Cronenworth is now the fourth Padres player to win the award this season, joining Merrill, Gavin Sheets and Fernando Tatis Jr.
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Amid all of that, Ty France surfaced as one of the more striking stories in the clubhouse. The veteran first baseman said he nearly retired before the 2026 season, which has turned into the best of his career, a turnabout that gives his role in San Diego a different kind of resonance. For a player who was close to walking away, making it this far was one thing, but turning in a revival like this has added another layer to a season the Padres still hope ends with a spot secured. [Read more 🡒]
