Meneses went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Monday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Padres.
All three of Meneses' hits drove in a run to erase the Padres' early 3-0 lead. He's been hitting well lately, going 15-for-46 (.326) with 10 RBI and five extra-base hits over his last 13 games. Meneses is at a .246/.302/.327 slash line for the year while adding three home runs, two stolen bases, 40 RBI and 18 runs scored over 275 plate appearances. He had a slow start in 2023 as well, but he'd need a big second half to get up to his level from last year (.275/.321/.401).
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Homers, drives in three in win
Rotowire
Meneses went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in a 4-0 win over the Marlins on Saturday.
Meneses opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the first inning then hit a two-run home run in the eighth. Meneses has enjoyed a modest five-game hit streak in which he has gone 7-for-15 with a homer and six RBI. Meneses had been losing out on playing time recently but is making the most of his opportunities since Joey Gallo (hamstring) hit the injured list Wednesday. On the season, Meneses is slashing .244/.305/.332 with three home runs and 36 RBI over 243 plate appearances.
Meneses will start at first base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Meneses had been on the bench for each of the Nationals' previous three games, but he'll get the first opportunity to enter the lineup in place of Joey Gallo (hamstring), who landed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. After turning in a .722 OPS in his first full season in the big leagues in 2023, Meneses has taken a big step back thus far in 2024, slashing just .232/.292/.296 with a miniscule .064 ISO across 226 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Heating up at plate
Rotowire
Meneses went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Thursday's win over Atlanta.
The 32-year-old has five hits in his last two games, and starting with a May 14 doubleheader against the Red Sox, Meneses is slashing .333/.385/.438 with two doubles, a homer and seven RBI over 13 contests. With the Nationals' lineup fully healthy again, Meneses will need to keep hitting if he wants to maintain regular playing time between first base and DH.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Losing out on regular role
Rotowire
Meneses is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Though he kept his spot on the 26-man active roster when the Nationals brought back Lane Thomas (knee) from the injured list Monday, Meneses appears to be the odd man out of the starting nine in the wake of the outfielder's return. Jesse Winker has served as the Nationals' designated hitter in two of the three games in Atlanta while Joey Gallo has started at first base twice during the series, closing off Meneses' primary avenues to playing time. Meneses should still have a spot in the lineup versus lefties, but the lefty-hitting Winker and Gallo appear poised to start ahead of him against righties.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Might lose roster spot
Rotowire
Meneses could be optioned to Triple-A Rochester when Lane Thomas (knee) is ready to come off the injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
The 32-year-old has been an everyday player for the Nationals this season between first base and DH, but he's managed just a .234/.299/.299 slash line in 43 games with two homers and 24 RBI. Victor Robles is the more likely candidate to get booted from the 26-man roster to make room for Thomas, but Robles is out of minor-league options and would have to be exposed to waivers, while Meneses could be optioned to Triple-A without any risk of losing him. Jesse Winker would likely become the primary DH in that scenario.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Homers Wednesday
Rotowire
Meneses went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Minnesota.
Meneses made things interesting in the ninth inning Wednesday, launching a solo shot off Jhoan Duran to lead off the frame. The 32-year-old Meneses had gotten off to a slow start this year, though he's now 6-for-17 with a pair of extra-base hits in his last three contests. Overall, he's slashing .234/.299/.299 with two homers, 24 RBI and nine runs scored through 43 games on the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Nabs second steal
Rotowire
Meneses went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox.
The Nationals have been running wild in 2024 and are tied with the Reds for the major-league lead at 74 steals, and even Meneses is getting in on the action. The 32-year-old first baseman came into the season with only one stolen base in 210 MLB games, but he's now 2-for-2 in steal attempts through 38 contests this year. The rest of his profile has been a disappointment though, and he's slashing only .226/.297/.274 through 165 plate appearances with one homer, seven runs and 21 RBI.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Three hits in Thursday's loss
Rotowire
Meneses went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Thursday's loss to the Dodgers.
It's the third multi-hit performance in the last five games for Meneses, who's started seven straight contests while batting .360 (9-for-25). The 31-year-old is still looking for his first homer of the season and has only two doubles, but with Lane Thomas (knee) on the shelf and Joey Gallo needed in right field, Meneses' playing time looks secure as he flips between first base and DH. On the season, he's slashing .257/.337/.284 with 10 RBI, but only two runs scored in 20 games.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Back in lineup, but losing work
Rotowire
Meneses will start at first base and bat fifth in Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Meneses will draw back into the starting nine for the series finale, but he seems to be the odd man out of the lineup of late, at least against right-handed pitching. He hadn't started in any of the previous three matchups versus righties, with Joey Gallo occupying first base and Jesse Winker serving as Washington's designated hitter in each of those contests. The reduction in playing time comes after Meneses has provided lowly .522 OPS though his first 57 plate appearances of the season.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Meneses isn't in the Nationals' lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Meneses went 1-for-4 during Friday's loss to the A's and will now receive his second day off in Washington's last three games. Jesse Winker will instead serve as the Nationals' DH, moving Eddie Rosario to left field while Jacob Young starts in center.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Receives first day off
Rotowire
Meneses is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
He'll take a seat for the first time all season while Joey Gallo and Jesse Winker pick up starts at first base and designated hitter, respectively. Through the Nationals' first 11 games, Meneses has slashed .190/.271/.214 with no home runs or stolen bases, two RBI and one run.
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Likely to DH again this season
Rotowire
Meneses appears set to spend most of his time at DH after the Nationals added Joey Gallo and Eddie Rosario to the roster this offseason, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
Rosario, who signed a minor-league deal with the team last week, is the favorite to win the starting left field job, which would bump Gallo to first base and Meneses to DH. There are a few complicating factors that cloud the playing-time outlook for Meneses, however. Jesse Winker, also in camp on a minor-league deal, is batting .350 (7-for-20) with a 5:4 BB:K, while Meneses is batting just .214 (6-for-28). Stone Garrett (lower leg) will also need at-bats once he's healthy, and top outfield prospects Dylan Crews and James Wood could also push their way onto the big-league roster over the summer. After a sizzling 56-game MLB debut in 2022, Meneses' production swooned last season, as he managed only a .722 OPS with 13 homers in 154 games. If the 31-year-old can't deliver better numbers at the plate in 2024, he could fall out of a regular role.
Nationals' Joey Meneses: Played through knee injury
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez revealed Monday that Meneses played through a knee injury this season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
It's not clear when Meneses' knee began bothering him, but Martinez indicated it's a big reason why the 31-year-old was basically a full-time designated hitter. With Dominic Smith no longer around, Martinez would like to use Meneses some at first base in 2024 and possibly even some in the outfield. As for how Meneses is progressing in his recovery from the knee problem, Martinez said the right-handed hitter is "doing a lot of agility stuff" this offseason and "looks good so far."
