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

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.