Joey Meneses, signed by the Atlanta Braves out of Mexico in 2011, has had quite the story throughout his MLB career. He bounced around the minor leagues for years and even went to Japan before getting a real MLB opportunity. Meneses would spend 2 years in the Phillies system, being named International League Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2018, before joining the Red Sox system from 2020-2021. Meneses signed a minor-league deal with Washington in January of 2022.
In 96 MiLB games with Washington, Meneses would hit .286 with a team-leading 20 homers and 64 RBI. The big-league Nationals would trade Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the 2022 trade deadline, setting up perfectly for Meneses and fellow call-up outfielder Josh Palacios to be called up to the MLB roster. Unlike Palacios, who struggled after catching his big break, Meneses took off with his opportunity. Meneses homered to right-center in his 3rd career at-bat and led the Nats to an 8-3 victory over the Mets on the night of the Soto deal.
Things would continue to go well for "CabaJoey" throughout the season, and in just 54 games, Meneses hit 13 homers and 34 RBI, which also included a walk-off 3-run homer against the Oakland A's in late September. Meneses was not only hitting for power, but with runners on base as well, which was great for his future outlook. He hit .324 in those 54 games and was poised to be a future piece with contract control until 2029. Fans speculated that hewould fall off following the season, but things seemed far from that. Meneses participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for team Mexico and was highlighted as a premier hitter on a team with multiple all-stars like outfielders Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran, as well as catcher Alejandro Kirk. Meneses' star moment came against team USA where he went 3-4 with 2 homers, leading Mexico to an upset victory over the States.
Meneses had Nationals fans on his side heading into the 2023 season, quickly becoming a fan favorite. However, things would only go downhill. Meneses appeared in 152 games in 2023, and while continuing to hit well with runners in scoring position, it felt like every at-bat was a soft roller to 3rd base for an out. Meneses hit .275 with 89 RBI, but had only 13 homers over the whole season. The bottom line was that Meneses was reliable with runners at second, but wasn't hitting for enough power at a power position.
Former #Nationals 1B/DH Joey Meneses is heading to the New York #Mets on an MiLB deal with a spring training invite
— Brandon Little (@branlittle58) November 21, 2024
In 2024, things only got worse, as Meneses took 3 months to hit his first homer of the season. In 76 games, Meneses hit a lousy .231 with only 3 homers, but still led the team in RBI with 42 at the time. With Juan Yepez producing at AAA, it was time for Meneses to figure it out, and he was sent to AAA on July 4th for the first time in nearly 2 years. Needless to say, he did not figure it out, only hitting .254 with 9 homers and 30 RBI in 51 games down in AAA. Meneses would be DFA'd following the season to clear a 40-man roster spot, and would ultimately elect free agency.
Now, Meneses, and former Nationals RHP Hobie Harris have both signed MiLB deals with the Division rival New York Mets, and will look to earn a spot on the roster heading into the 2025 season. With Pete Alonso likely leaving in free agency, Meneses might have a good chance of making the team, but only time will tell.