Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young and third baseman Jose Tena will start on the bench for Thursday's contest against the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. Dylan Crews is starting in center field and will bat eighth, Alex Call is in right field and in the two-hole, and Amed Rosario is starting at third base and batting sixth versus Orioles left-hander Cade Povich. Young went 0-for-3 on Wednesday to snap a three-game hitting streak and is hitting just .220 (11-for-50) with no homers, one RBI, two steals and six runs scored as a platoon outfielder in D.C. Tena has hits in both of his at-bats against lefties this year with two RBI, but the left-handed hitter will take a seat in favor of Rosario. Although Call has yet to clear the fences in 42 at-bats in 2025, he'll be the better DFS sleeper play in the second spot. The 30-year-old is hitting .310 (13-for-42) with eight RBI and seven runs scored.

Washington Nationals third baseman Jose Tena has won a bench job on the Opening Day roster, reports Andrew Golden. He didn't have an exceptional spring, batting just .156 with a 28.0% strikeout rate in 50 plate appearances. In 2024, he slashed .267/.298/.354 with three home runs in 44 major league games. He isn't likely to see consistent playing time and hasn't shown any potential in terms of fantasy, so he's safe to keep off of your radar.

MASN's Bobby Blanco writes that Washington Nationals infielders Trey Lipscomb, Jose Tena and Brady House are the most likely candidates to compete for the starting third base job in spring training this year. Lipscomb, 24, has the most MLB experience of the trio after making his big-league debut in 2024 and hitting .200/.268/.232 with a homer, 10 RBI and 11 steals in 61 games. He showed a strong glove, but Lipscomb was optioned four times in six months and recalled five times. Tena, 23, started 34 of the team's final 44 games at third and hit .274 with three homers, 15 RBI and six steals in 41 games with the Nats. He didn't outshine Lipscomb in the field but was much more impressive with the bat and produced nice exit velocities. House, 21, has been good on offense and defense but he has only made 51 appearances at third at Triple-A. The former first-rounder has more long-term upside but also needs more experience.

Washington National rookie third baseman Jose Tena is batting fifth in Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Tena is hitting .293/.330/.380 with two homers, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored in 97 plate appearances since his Nationals debut on June 28. Although overshadowed by the likes of Dylan Crews and James Wood, Tena is one of the young bats the Nationals are counting on to help them return to playoff contention in 2025. Tena continues to fly under the radar in dynasty leagues, but if he is available, find the roster space to stash him away.

Washington Nationals infielder Jose Tena (thumb) was forced to exit early during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Tena suffered a right thumb injury while attempting to field a grounder in the third inning. The expectation is that Tena will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Ildemaro Vargas replaced him at third base and could see increased playing time if Tena is forced to miss time.

The Cleveland Guardians recalled infield prospect Jose Tena from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday and optioned right-hander Xzavion Curry to Columbus in a corresponding move. Tena, the club's No. 22 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will return to the big leagues after making his debut for the Guardians in 2023, when he went 7-for-31 (.226) with two doubles and three RBI in a cup of coffee for 18 games. The 23-year-old left-handed-hitting Dominican infielder was slashing .293/.341/.480 with an .821 OPS, 14 home runs, 56 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 73 games for Columbus to earn the call-up to give Cleveland more infield depth. As of now, it doesn't look like Tena will see consistent playing time with the first-place Guardians, so fantasy managers in shallow-mixed redraft leagues should probably pass.

Cleveland Guardians shortstop prospect Jose Tena found his power stroke with two homers on Wednesday for Triple-A Columbus, giving him six bombs in his last six games. The Guardians' No. 22 prospect is hitting .300 for Columbus with 14 homers and 52 RBI to go with an .851 OPS. The power surge is a bit unexpected, as Tena is known more for his glove at the shortstop position. He hit eight homers across two levels of the minors in 2023. However, the 23-year-old has been good offensively all season at Triple-A. Tena made a late-season cameo with the Guardians last year and could find his way back to Cleveland by the end of this season if he keeps up his hot hitting.