Joey

Meneses

Nuñez was awful in his limited action in 2025 with a 7.11 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over 10 appearances. The 26-year-old will likely be an up-and-down option for the A’s in 2026.

The Athletics are one of the few organizations with an overabundance of first base and DH options heading into next season with the emergence of AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz and veteran slugger Brent Rooker occupying the full-time DH role. Meneses didn’t appear in the big leagues last year but was an everyday regular for the Nationals from 2022-2024, hitting .274/.322/.408 with 29 homers and three steals in 286 contests during that span.

Meneses, 32, was brought in as a non-roster invite, and won’t be a part of the Mets to open the 2025 campaign. Gose and Reid-Foley are both non-roster invitees as well who will need to be added to the 40-man roster to pitch for New York this summer.

The Mets’ obviously want to bring back Pete Alonso as their starting first baseman for the 2025 season and beyond, but in the event that he signs elsewhere, building quality depth at the position isn’t a terrible idea. Meneses, 32, struggled mightily at the dish in 2024, but he’s just one year removed from a season in which he slashed .275/.321/.401 for the Nationals with 13 homers and 89 RBI.

All three have elected free agency and will search for new opportunities after being jettisoned from Washington’s 40-man roster. Of the trio, Meneses was the only one with any semblance of fantasy relevance in the past few years, but he was unable to parlay his late-career breakthrough into a long-term role with the Nationals.

Menses is hitting .235 on the season with three home runs and a 63/21 K/BB ratio in 75 games. He is also coming off a month of June in which he hit just .198; however, he was 4-for-12 in his first three games in July. No corresponding move has been announced and Joey Gallo has yet to start a rehab assignment, so the Nationals could opt to use Jesse Winker at first base in the near future.

Meneses still really needs a few more games like this, given his struggles to date, and though the Nationals won’t want to make the move, there’s the chance he’ll be optioned out after Joey Gallo comes off the IL. Meneses is currently hitting .246/.302/.327 for the season, though much like in 2023, he has made the most of his contact; he’s driven in 40 runs in 67 games.

Meneses put the Nationals on the board in the first inning with a sacrifice fly. He later gave the team a pair of insurance runs in the eighth with a two-run blast off Andrew Nardi for his third homer of the season. The 32-year-old first baseman is slashing .244/.305/.332 with 36 RBI across 243 plate appearances.

Joey Gallo injured himself on Tuesday running out a seventh-inning grounder. The Nationals called up Trey Lipscomb to take Gallo’s place on the active roste, but it might be Joey Meneses who figures to gain the most playing time with Gallo out. While Meneses’ season-long stats aren’t great, he did hit .264/.323/.368 in 23 games in May with two home runs 13 RBI, and just a 21 percent strikeout rate. He could have some deep league value if he’s able to secure regular playing time over the next few weeks.

Rosario had started four of the last five games but will take a seat with Lane Thomas moving to right field and Joey Meneses entering the lineup at DH. Since Thomas has returned from the IL, Meneses and Rosario have shared playing time, with Rosario starting about two-thirds of the games. Meanwhile, Jacob Young has been playing almost every day in center field, which gives him some fantasy value with his speed.