Yepez making most of unexpected opportunity with Nats

For three months, as he produced decent – but hardly spectacular – numbers in Rochester, Juan Yepez had little reason to believe he was a simple phone call away from Washington. He was, like so many others with big league experience, stuck at Triple-A, trying to make the best of a frustrating situation.

“For sure, I felt like the call felt far,” he said. “Honestly, I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting it. But I think I had trust that I was going to get my opportunity, and I’m just glad I had it.”

The call did finally come July 5, the Nationals deciding they couldn’t wait any longer for Joey Meneses to break out of his season-long slump. Meneses went down to Rochester. Yepez came up and was given the opportunity to prove he deserved to be the starting first baseman.

More than two weeks later, he’s done just about everything in his power to prove he does deserve the job.

Yepez has played 13 games with the Nats. He has recorded at least one hit in all 13 games. He has recorded at least one extra-base hit in eight of those games. He’s the proud owner of a .367 batting average, .437 on-base percentage and 1.008 OPS, the kind of production the team desperately needed from the most offensive-minded position on the field.

“He’s been impressive,” catcher Keibert Ruiz said. “He’s giving us good energy. The way he takes at-bats, it gets contagious. You’re going to do the right thing, too.”

Ruiz knows Yepez like no one else on the roster. The two actually played together as 12-year-olds on a team of top Venezuelan kids that participated in a major international tournament, ultimately losing the championship game to a Cuban squad that featured now-Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo.

Ruiz, who actually was an outfielder and pitcher at the time, knew Yepez (who played third base) had the ability to reach the big leagues at that young age.

“Yeah. Always could hit,” he said. “Always.”

Originally signed by the Braves in 2014, Yepez wound up getting traded to the Cardinals three years later for none other than Matt Adams, the big slugger who eventually won a World Series ring with the Nationals in 2019. He made his major league debut in 2022 and delivered 13 doubles and 12 homers in 274 plate appearances, bouncing between left field, right field, first and third bases. But he slumped in limited playing time last season and found himself non-tendered by St. Louis in November.

The Nats came calling one month later, offering Yepez a minor league contract and an invitation to spring training. But he never appeared to be anything more than a fallback option if someone else struggled or got hurt.

Yepez unsurprisingly was sent to Triple-A at the end of camp, though he reported to Rochester with words of encouragement from Davey Martinez.

“The guy, he loves to play. You can see it,” the Nationals manager said. “He wants to do really well, and he’s done well. The guys appreciate him because of how hard he plays the game. I told him when he didn’t make the team – he was a little disappointed – but I said: ‘You’ve got a chance to help us at some point this year.’”

Triple-A can be a lonely place for a 26-year-old with some big league experience but not enough to be considered a top prospect. Yepez, though, found a way to embrace his situation, helped in large part by the support he says he received from Rochester’s coaching staff: manager Matt LeCroy, hitting coach Brian Daubach and development coach Billy McMillon.

“I feel like even though I was a minor league signing, they have treated me like if I was coming up through the minor leagues (with them),” he said. “I was playing every day the whole year. I feel like they’ve been supportive. Obviously, you have your tough stretches, your good moments. And I think LeCroy and Daubach and Billy, they all have been really supportive.”

Through his regular conversations with LeCroy, Martinez heard nothing but good things about Yepez, keeping his name in the back of his mind should the situation ever present itself.

“You can go down there and go: ‘Eh.’ But he really wanted to get back to the big leagues,” Martinez said. “He worked hard every day. And from my understanding, he was a really good teammate down there as well. He helped some of the younger guys out, did everything they asked him to do. Those are the kind of guys I personally love and look for, because I know the adjustment won’t take as long. They’ll fit right in.”

Yepez was batting only .231 with a .737 OPS in mid-June, with little reason to believe a promotion was in the cards. Then he went on a 14-game hitting streak, during which he batted .407 with a 1.087. The streak ended July 2 with an 0-for-3 game that still included a pair of walks. Three days later, he was starting at first base for the Nationals, at which point he began a new hitting streak.

Beyond the quality at-bats he has produced, Yepez has also given the Nats something they desperately needed: power. He has eight extra-base hits in 55 plate appearances. Meneses had only 14 in 313 plate appearances before his demotion.

Defensively, Yepez leaves some things to be desired. He hasn’t looked particularly smooth at first base. But at the moment, the Nationals care far more about run production at that position than run prevention, and he has more than fit the bill.

Does that suddenly make Yepez part of the long-term plan around here? Probably not. But at 26, he’s within the same age range as a number of key building blocks like Ruiz, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli. And he can’t become a free agent until after the 2029 season.

Yepez wasn’t supposed to be in this position, but he’s surely made the most of it since arriving. And if he can continue to do that, the Nats will have every reason to at least consider him in a different light than they did when they signed him to that minor league contract in December.

“I love the guys. I love it here,” he said. “Hopefully I can continue to do this, and the Nats can see me as a long-term candidate. But I just want to play as hard as I can and show I can help this team and just be around these guys, because it’s been fun.”