Juan Yepez Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 1" / 200 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 2/19/1998 (26)
- Experience
- 2
- College
- None
Juan Yepez Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Juan Yepez News
Free-agent first baseman Juan Yepez agreed to a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Yepez will head for D.C. after appearing in the big leagues in each of the last two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was more impressive in 76 games in his rookie year in 2022, hitting .253 (64-for-253) with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 274 plate appearances. The 25-year-old Venezuelan only appeared in 28 games for the Cards in 2023 and hit just .183 (11-for-60) with two home runs and 20 strikeouts. Yepez has a decent power stroke and will have more of an opportunity for a regular role in the big leagues for the rebuilding Nationals.
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Juan Yepez has hit his way up the batting order. In five games, Yepez is hitting .316/.350/.474 with one homer and one RBI this season. It's a small sample size, but the Cardinals will ride with the hot bat. Yepez will move into the five spot and cover left field against left-hander James Paxton on Friday. It'll be Paxton's first start of the season, so this could be a good opportunity for Yepez to make some noise against a rusty pitcher.
The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Tyler O'Neill (back) on the 10-day injured list and right-hander Jake Woodford (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Friday and recalled outfielder/infielder Juan Yepez and right-hander James Naile from Triple-A Memphis in corresponding moves. Right-hander Wilking Rodriguez (shoulder) was also moved to the 60-day IL. O'Neill will miss at least a week with a lower-back strain, and the 27-year-old was hitting a disappointing .228 with two home runs and one stolen base in 29 games this year. There's no timetable for his return. Yepez wasn't hitting very well in the minors prior to his call-up, but he had a combined 28 round-trippers between the majors and minors in 2022 and could see decent playing time against left-handed pitchers with O'Neill on the shelf.
Batting Order
1 | CJ Abrams |
2 | Jesse Winker |
3 | Joey Meneses |
4 | Luis García Jr. |
5 | Joey Gallo |
6 | Riley Adams |
7 | Eddie Rosario |
8 | Nick Senzel |
9 | Trey Lipscomb |
Juan Yepez Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | CJ Abrams |
2 | Jesse Winker |
3 | Joey Meneses |
4 | Luis García Jr. |
5 | Joey Gallo |
6 | Riley Adams |
7 | Eddie Rosario |
8 | Nick Senzel |
9 | Trey Lipscomb |
St. Louis Cardinals infielder and outfielder Juan Yepez enjoyed a solid debut season in the Majors last season. The 24-year-old hit .253 with a .296 on-base percentage and 12 home runs in 274 plate appearances for the National League Central club. And while he didn't draw a ton of walks or log a high on-base percentage, Yepez' wRC+ did finish nine points above the league average at 109. More importantly, he logged a quality 9.2% barrel rate. He also finished in the 95th percentile league-wide in max exit velocity with a 114.4 MPH metric. In other words, the power production in Yepez's numbers looks entirely sustainable. Elsewhere, the rookie saw playing time at first base, third base, and both outfield corners in 2022, giving him quality fantasy upside and potential with his power upside and multi-positional eligibility. The only question is how often Yepez will play. St. Louis has Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado entrenched at the infield corners, with Tyler O'Neil, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Alec Burleson in the corner outfield mix. Still, with the designated hitter spot open, there should be enough opportunity for Yepez to carve out a somewhat regular role at minimum.