The Washington Nationals optioned first baseman Joey Meneses to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday after he went 0-for-4 in 1-0 shutout victory over the division-rival New York Mets on the Fourth of July. Meneses has had a tough go of it at the plate in his third major-league season, as he came into Thursday's ballgame hitting .235/.294/.310 with a weak .605 OPS, only three home runs, 43 RBI and 19 runs scored in 75 games played. It's a big drop in performance after he hit .324 with 13 homers in his rookie season and .275 with 13 bombs and 89 RBI a year ago. The 32-year-old veteran should eventually be back in D.C., but for now, fantasy managers in shallow mixed leagues should move on. Harold Ramirez and Ildemaro Vargas could split playing time at first base for the Nats with Meneses going down to the farm.
Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses had a productive night in a 4-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. Meneses went 1-for-3 with a homer and three RBI to help propel Washington to the win over the Marlins. The 32-year-old first baseman got the Nats on the board with a first-inning sacrifice fly before he later ripped a two-run homer in the eighth inning to provide a couple of insurance runs for his team. Meneses is now hitting .244 with three homers, 16 runs, 36 RBI, and two stolen bases over 217 at-bats in 2024. He's been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting .318 with six RBI over his past seven contests.
Victor Robles, Joey Meneses In Danger Of Losing Roster Spot
With Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas' (knee) return on the horizon, both outfielder Victor Robles and first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses are in danger of losing their roster spot. Robles, 27, looked good in spring training, only to get hurt less than a week into the regular season. He hasn't played much since rejoining the team and has gone just 2-for-23 with five walks and nine strikeouts. Robles has been in a decline since 2019 and the Nats may finally give up on him and designated him for assignment (since he's out of minor-league options). The other option would be to send Meneses to the minors. Meneses did homer on Wednesday, but he's slashing just .234/.299/.299 while hitting in the heart of Washington's batting order.
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses are not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants. It's the second straight day that Ruiz has been on the bench, and the Nats also called up catcher Drew Millas, so don't be surprised if an injury pops up for the 25-year-old. Millas is behind the dish and batting eighth, while Jesse Winker is serving as the DH and batting third and Joey Gallo is at first base and hitting cleanup against Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks. In addition to a potential injury bothering Ruiz, he's gone just 6-for-31 (.194) in the early going with a homer and three RBI. Meneses is also off to a slow start, going 8-for-42 (.190) with no homers and 13 strikeouts in his first 11 games in 2024.
Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Joey Meneses tallied three hits in Thursday's 5-3 Grapefruit League win over the Houston Astros, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, one run scored, and a stolen base. It was a nice day at the dish for Meneses, who is now hitting .303 (10-for-33) with a .755 OPS during spring training. After bursting onto the scene in 2022 with 13 home runs in 56 games for the Nats post-All-Star break following 11 seasons overseas, the 31-year-old veteran came crashing back down to earth with 13 homers in 154 outings during 2023 to go with a pedestrian .275/.321/.401 triple-slash line in 611 at-bats. Meneses is still projected to be Washington's everyday designated hitter and cleanup batter to begin the 2024 campaign, but not only is his fantasy appeal limited by a weak lineup around him, he could also eventually start to lose playing time due to how little he offers as a fielder and baserunner.
Washington Nationals designated hitter Joey Meneses went 2-for-5 and drove in five runs in a 10-7 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Meneses hit a two-run double in the fifth frame off Red Sox righty reliever Josh Winckowski. He would later smack another two-run double adding to the National's lead. The 31-year-old has been solid for Washington this season, posting a .283 batting average with 11 home runs and 68 RBI in 460 trips to the plate.
Joey Meneses Hits Go-Ahead Three-Run Homer Tuesday
Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses had a huge game at the plate in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Rockies. Meneses went 3-for-4 with a single, a double, and a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning. The 31-year-old has replicated his high batting average from last season but has not come close to the power and is now slashing .280/.323/.402 with seven HR and 53 RBI. He is a good hitter and still offers some fantasy value in deep leagues, but his counting stats will remain relatively empty if he continues to lack power.
Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses provided all of the team's runs in the 7-2 loss to the visiting Texas Rangers on Friday, going 2-for-4 with two solo home runs while serving as the designated hitter. Meneses isn't really known for his power, as the two homers brought his season total to four, and the multi-homer performance was the first of his career. It was his first time clearing the fences in 47 games. The 31-year-old isn't suddenly going to put on a power show for fantasy managers, but he's still plenty useful for his contact abilities and high average (.281) through 327 at-bats this year. It was nice to see Meneses have a big game, as he's hitting just .189 (10-for-53) with 15 strikeouts in 14 games since June 20.
Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (elbow) and first baseman Joey Meneses are both getting the day off on Wednesday as the team takes on the Seattle Mariners. Abrams is setting out with a bruised right elbow after getting hit by a pitch on Tuesday night, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Ildemaro Vargas is starting at the 6 and is batting sixth, while Dominic Smith will get the start at first base and hit fifth against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert. Abrams, a former first-rounder, isn't hitting for average in his first full season in D.C. and has added seven home runs, 14 doubles and nine stolen bases in 72 games. Meneses is contributing a strong .287 average (87-for-303) but without the counting stats (two homers, no steals).
Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses had a big day at the plate on Monday as he collected four hits while driving in four runs as part of a 10-3 rout of the visiting New York Mets. The 31-year-old opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and provided the Nationals with another lead on another RBI double in the third. After adding a sixth-inning RBI single, Meneses added yet another RBI double to his ledger in the eighth to cap the scoring for Washington. The four-hit afternoon boosted his batting average to a healthy .300 mark alongside two homers, 10 doubles, and a .722 OPS across 177 trips to the plate.
