Two nights. Two home runs. Same organization on the receiving end. Joey Meneses, the Culiacán native playing for the Las Vegas Aviators, went back-to-back against the Astros‘ affiliate with a 433-foot shot on Wednesday and a 399-foot blast on Thursday — his 16th homer of the season — this one off Ronel Blanco, who was making a rehab start with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
On the full season, Meneses is hitting .323 with 16 home runs, 106 RBI and 26 doubles in the Pacific Coast League — numbers that put him among the most productive hitters in all of the minor leagues.
Same Opponent, Same Result
Wednesday, August 27: Las Vegas beats Sugar Land 11-5. Meneses connects off Mike Burrows for homer No. 15, a 433-foot drive. Thursday: same ballpark, same opponent. He does it again — 399 feet, homer No. 16, this time off Blanco.
Blanco is no soft target. The right-hander from the Dominican Republic was one of the better starters in MLB before his elbow surgery — he finished fourth in ERA in 2024 at 2.80 and threw a no-hitter on April 1 of that year against the Toronto Blue Jays. He came into Thursday’s game on a rehab assignment with a 1-0 record and 1.59 ERA in his previous outings. Meneses didn’t care.
Numbers Oakland Can’t Keep Ignoring
Meneses signed with the Athletics as a non-roster invitee before the 2026 season. Oakland called him up briefly in June — he was hitting .348 with an .944 OPS and 76 RBI in 69 games at that point — but he was sent back to Triple-A and hasn’t slowed down one bit. He was named PCL Player of the Week for June 15–21, and he’s kept right on producing since.
One honest caveat worth noting: Las Vegas Ballpark is one of the most hitter-friendly environments in the minors, and the PCL as a whole inflates numbers due to altitude and atmospheric conditions. Direct comparisons to MLB without park adjustments can skew the picture.
That said, some things can’t be explained away by thin air. A .323 average, 26 doubles, 16 home runs and more than 100 RBI aren’t a park illusion — they’re a pattern.
Las Vegas Is Playoff-Bound
The Aviators closed Thursday at 73-53 on the season, two games behind Sacramento in the PCL West, but they’ve already locked up a playoff spot for 2026. The six-game series against Sugar Land — running August 25–30 at Las Vegas Ballpark — comes at exactly the right time as the team eyes its postseason positioning.
For Meneses, this final stretch is also an audition. He’s 32, and he knows what it takes to break through late — he did it with the Washington Nationals in 2022. Every night he adds another line to the argument. If Oakland decides to give him another shot before rosters are set, the case is already made.
