Joey Meneses's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

According to Washington Nationals insider Bobby Blanco, first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses has elected to test free agency. Meneses had the worst season of his three-year MLB career last summer as he posted a poor .231/.291/.302 line with three home runs and two stolen bases. This was a stark contrast to the .275/.321/.401 line he held during the 2023 campaign. The 32-year-old also spent some of last season with Triple-A Rochester and carried a modest .254/.322/.471 line with 14 doubles and nine home runs. Meneses will likely find a new home but is best to leave off your fantasy radar in 2025 given his struggles last season.

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.

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.