Joey

Wiemer

Wiemer was released by the Nationals earlier in the week after flailing to a miserable .196/.277/.257 slash line over 166 plate appearances at Triple-A Rochester. He’ll add outfield depth for the White Sox and can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

We are a long way from March, when Wiemer went 10-for-22 with two home runs, seven runs scored, and four RBI in the first five games of the season. The 27-year-old is hitting .196/.277/.257 in 166 plate appearances at Triple-A. He’ll try to sign a minor league contract somewhere else.

So it’s Wiemer who will be headed to the minor leagues to make room for Dylan Crews’ return. Wiemer got off to a hot start to the season and is still slashing .300/.410/.529 with three home runs in 83 plate appearances. That does come with a 35 percent strikeout rate and 70 percent contact rate. If you take out the first five games of the season, when Wiemer was running crazy hot, the 27-year-old is slashing just .208/.311/.358 with a 41 percent strikeout rate in 61 plate appearances.

Young was drilled by a pitch near his left ribs and was in quite a bit of pain while leaving the field during the second inning of Monday’s series opener. He was replaced by pinch-runner Joey Wiemer. He’ll undergo X-rays to determine whether he suffered any fractures. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

It looks to be just a routine day of rest for the 23-year-old outfielder. Joey Wiemer will start in his place in the Nationals’ outfield and will bat sixth against Giants’ southpaw Robbie Ray on Sunday afternoon in Washington.

Young was hit by a pitch during Thursday’s game. Fortunately, additional testing revealed no structural damage and the 26-year-old outfielder should be able to return to action in a day or two. Joey Wiemer will draw a start in his place in center field and will bat fifth for the Nationals against Giants’ right-hander Logan Webb on Friday night.

Weimer was 6-for-6 with two walks coming into the game. In the first, he hit a soft grounder and was initially called out at first, only to have the out overturned on replay. He then singled again in the third before finally being retired in the fifth. The Nationals might as well keep using Wiemer while he’s hot, though the plan initially was just to start him against left-handers. He probably won’t have any lasting fantasy value, but stranger things have happened.

Thomson was served an automatic ejection for arguing a first-inning call that was overturned by replay review. The Phillies were trailing 4-0 already when he was booted from the contest. It’s worth noting here because the challenge extended Joey Wiemer’s remarkable on-base streak to nine consecutive plate appearances.

It’s Wiemer’s first start against a right-handed starter this season, but he has gone 6-for-6 with two home runs to start the season, so it was bound to happen. Jacob Young is getting his first day off today, which allowed Wiemer to slide into center field with James Wood moving into right field and Jose Tena entering the lineup at designated hitter.

Joey Wiemer has played in two games in 2026, and he’s gone 3-for-3 with a homer in both of them. He added the three-bagger for good measure and also drew a walk. Obviously, Wiemer isn’t going to do this every night, but if he does, it’d be pretty cool. It’s a reminder that Wiemer was a legitimate top prospect not that long ago with the Brewers, and he’s certainly capable of bashing lefties.