Joey Meneses is back in the burgundy. The Sinaloa native reported to Tomateros de Culiacán for his 14th season in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico, according to reporter Miguel Lugo on October 24, 2026. He arrives straight off one of the best offensive campaigns any Mexican player has put together in the minors in recent memory — and with a clear mission: find his rhythm in Culiacán before the next MLB window opens.
110 RBI and a PCL crown
The number that defines his 2026 season: 110 RBI in 118 games with the Las Vegas Aviators, enough to lead the entire Pacific Coast League in runs batted in. He also hit .306 with 16 home runs, 27 doubles, and 44 extra-base hits — figures that earned him the team MVP award. The PCL is the most competitive Triple-A circuit in the Athletics system and the direct pipeline to the big leagues, which makes that RBI crown mean something real.
The problem came when Oakland called him up in June. In 9 games with the A’s, Meneses hit just .150 (3-for-20) with 2 RBI and an OPS of .430 — roughly half of what he was doing in Las Vegas. He was designated for assignment on July 18 and became a free agent when the season ended September 30. October arrived with him holding the best RBI total of his minor-league career and a plane ticket to Culiacán.
14 seasons in burgundy — and counting
Meneses first put on a Tomateros uniform in the 2013-14 campaign as a 21-year-old with big-league dreams still on the horizon. Since then, winter in Culiacán has been his constant — through years in the minors, a 2023 World Baseball Classic run with Mexico, and everything in between. He always came back.
Last winter (2025-26) he played 61 of 68 regular-season games, hitting .262 with 4 home runs and 43 RBI. This time around he arrives with bigger numbers and something to prove. As of his arrival, he had not yet been formally activated and was working through batting and defensive drills to sharpen his timing before his official debut. Manager Lorenzo Bundy had him on the 65-man roster since preseason began in September — a sign that Tomateros never doubted he was coming.
What’s next for CabaJoey
Across 286 career MLB games with the Nationals and Athletics, Meneses carries a .272 average, 29 home runs, and 167 RBI — numbers that make a real case for him as a legitimate big-league bat, not just a roster filler. The question heading into 2027 is whether a major-league club signs him in the next free-agent window, the same way the Athletics did in November 2025.
For now, the plan is Tomateros. And in Culiacán, that is no consolation prize. CabaJoey is one of the most beloved players on that roster — the guy the crowd celebrates by name and nickname. Season 14. Same colors. The best RBI numbers of his minor-league career packed in the bag.
