Joey Meneses endured an 11-year journey to get the Majors, exploding on the scene through an incredible 56-game span in 2022 following the Juan Soto trade. His hot start has simmered, and after struggles through the first half of the 2024 season, Meneses’ journey has led to a demotion.
The Washington Nationals optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.
Meneses’ journey included stints in minor league baseball, Mexico, and Japan before he landed an opportunity with the Nationals. Meneses broke through in 2022, hitting .324/.367/.563 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI in 56 games. As a result, he emerged as a centerpiece for the Nats after the Soto trade with the San Diego Padres.
Last season, Meneses still led the team with a .275 batting average through 154 games. However, his power decreased, hitting 13 home runs. His OPS dropped from .930 to .722. Still, he managed to drive in 89 runs.
This season has been a struggle for Meneses. The production continued to decrease at the plate. Meneses hit .235/.294/.310 through 75 games. He hit three home runs, as his homer rate dropped to 1.0%.
Despite hitting .324 with a .823 OPS with runners in scoring position, Meneses hit just .184 with a .474 OPS with no men on base. Meneses’s struggles got laminated during June, batting .198. This season, Meneses split his time between first base and designated hitter.
Nationals promoting Juan Yepez to replace Joey Meneses at first base
The Nationals are promoting first baseman/outfielder Juan Yepez in correspondence to demoting Meneses, per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post.
Yepez, 26, signed a minor league contract with the Nationals in December after seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He spent time in MLB during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Yepez hit .307 with a .833 OPS in June with Triple-A Rochester. Yepez expects to be in the mix to replace Meneses at first base. Jesse Winker, Harold Ramirez, and Riley Adams are also considered options for first base.
Meanwhile, Meneses appears to have a stint with Rochester, hoping to fix his consistency at the plate. The Nationals are in a youth movement. The team just promoted baseball’s top prospect, James Wood.
The club has a core of young pieces acquired in the draft and trades, including infielders Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams. The Nats are still trying to figure out their corner infielders. Yepez has an opportunity to take hold first in Meneses’s absence.
Meneses finally got his MLB shot with the Nats. The door isn’t closed with the void at first.
