PLAYER REVIEW: JOSÉ TENA
Age on Opening Day 2025: 24
How acquired: Traded with Alex Clemmey and Rafael Ramirez Jr. from Guardians for Lane Thomas, July 2024
MLB service time: 93 days
2024 salary: $740,000
Contract status: Under club control, arbitration-eligible in 2028, free agent in 2031
2024 stats (CLE+WSH): 44 G, 168 PA, 161 AB, 14 R, 43 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SB, 1 CS, 7 BB, 41 SO, .267 AVG, .298 OBP, .354 SLG, .652 OPS, 85 OPS+, -2 DRS, -4 OAA, 0.2 bWAR, 0.0 fWAR
Quotable: “He’s a good athlete. He runs a lot better than we thought when we got him. He hits the ball really well, which we knew. I think this kid has potential to hit some home runs for us. Now it’s just a matter of getting him comfortable over at that position.” – Davey Martinez
2024 analysis: The Nationals traded Lane Thomas at the July deadline because of the package of prospects they got in return for the popular outfielder, most notably a pair of 19-year-olds (left-hander Alex Clemmey, infielder Rafael Ramirez Jr.) It’ll be quite some time before we know how either of those kids turns out. The third player included in the deal, infielder José Tena, wasn’t as highly touted as the others but was big league ready. And had put up some pretty good offensive numbers at Triple-A (.824 OPS, 18 homers in 100 games).
After a couple weeks at Rochester, the Nats decided to call up Tena and see what he could do. He came up through the minors primarily as a shortstop, but with CJ Abrams locked in there and Luis García Jr. locked in at second base, the opening at the time was at third base. Tena would proceed to start 34 of the team’s final 44 games at the hot corner.
He got off to a red-hot start, delivering a walk-off single in his Nats debut and finishing the month of August with a stout .339/.369/.468 slash line. He did cool off in September (.222/.252/.283) but overall showed some promising offensive skills.
In the field, Tena struggled mightily. He looked like a guy learning how to play third base in the majors, which is precisely what he was. He was charged with nine errors in only 87 defensive chances, and that doesn’t include other plays not made that weren’t technically errors. He did show some improvement by season’s end, though, and he actually looked comfortable in the seven games he started at second base.
2025 outlook: The Nationals didn’t acquire Tena thinking he was going to be a big part of the immediate plan, but his offensive performance in the minors and their own revolving door at third base gave them the opportunity to get a look at him and see what they have. What do they have? It’s still not entirely clear, but it seems to be worth a further look.
Tena has skills at the plate. He hit the ball with some authority (91.2 mph average exit velocity) and he hit the ball in the air with some regularity (25 percent line drive rate). He was particularly adept at driving the ball to left and center fields, where most of his singles landed. He also showed an ability to turn on a pitch and launch it to right or right-center field, where all three of his homers landed. Did pitchers start to get a book on him by season’s end? Perhaps, but it’s still not really enough of a sample to know for sure.
Defensively, there’s a real question about how and where Tena fits in. Obviously, the Nationals believe they’re set at both middle infield positions for years to come. And as a left-handed hitter, Tena doesn’t make a good platoon partner with Abrams or García. But he’ll have to make some serious strides at third base to warrant regular playing time there.
All signs continue to point to Brady House getting the chance to take over third base at some point early in 2025. But if the Nats believe the 2021 first round pick needs more seasoning at Triple-A, they could do worse than letting Tena open the season there and getting a better idea whether he really can be part of this thing moving forward or not.