José Tena didn’t know many people in the Nationals’ clubhouse when the 23-year-old who was one of three prospects acquired from Cleveland in the deadline deal which sent Lane Thomas to the Guardians got called up on Saturday afternoon, but as Washington’s skipper Davey Martinez put it after Tena hit game-tying and winning singles in his Nationals debut, “I think his teammates know who he is now.”
GM and President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo talked on the night of the 2024 Trade Deadline about what the Nationals got in Tena.
“He’s a tooled-up player that can play the middle of the diamond, and is versatile enough to play some other positions,” Rizzo explained.