Young, scrappy & hungry, Tena homers in 12th multihit game since callup

WASHINGTON -- José Tena joined the Nationals organization on July 29, when he was acquired from the Guardians as part of the Lane Thomas trade. At the time, the 23-year-old had 21 games of Major League experience after he debuted on Aug. 5, 2023.

Fast forward five weeks: Tena has made 28 starts for the Nats -- including 27 at third base -- since he was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 10.

On Saturday, he tallied his 12th multihit game as the Nationals won, 4-1, over the Marlins. He leads the team in multihit outings during that stretch, ahead of both Jacob Young and James Wood, who have eight apiece.

Tena went 2-for-4 with a single, a home run and a stolen base against Miami right-hander Valente Bellozo at Nationals Park.

“The focus of every at-bat is to try to have the best swing every time,” Tena said.

After he grounded out to second base in his first at-bat, Tena roped a curveball to shortstop for a single in the fourth inning, his first hit of the day. He stole his fifth base of the season in the next at-bat.

“He gives himself a chance to hit,” manager Dave Martinez said. “He gets good swings off when the ball’s in the zone. He’s another guy [who], when the ball’s up in the zone and he doesn’t chase, he hits the ball really well.”

In the sixth, Tena got into a battle with Bellozo, working the count full over seven pitches. Then, Tena made contact on a curveball and drove it to center field for his third homer of the season. It soared a Statcast-projected 412 feet with a 102.9 mph exit velocity, his longest home run of his career.

“He’s fast, so [if] he put the ball in the ground -- he’s gonna run,” Bellozo said. “He’s a really good hitter. The [homer] -- I executed the pitch. He got it. [I’m] tipping my cap, and that’s the game. He got it and just [gave] a fight over there. He’s a really good hitter. It’s going to be really good battles overall next year, or other games here.”

Tena extended his on-base streak to 10 games, over which he is batting .325 with three doubles, one home run, four RBIs, three walks, six runs scored and four stolen bases.

“He’s a very, very good player overall, but [also] a very good hitter,” said Joey Gallo, who also went yard, as did Juan Yepez. “To hit that ball out -- I watched the replay, it looks like a curveball down and away, and he was able to hit it out to right-center.

“I was able to play with him a little bit in Rochester in Triple-A right before he was called up. It was kind of the first time I got to see him, and I was very impressed. [He’s a] very good player, so we’re lucky to have him.”

There is a possibility Tena could continue gaining momentum by playing winter ball this season, to see more at-bats and further his comfortability at third base.

“He stays behind the ball really well,” said Martinez. “... He’s had a really good year. If you look at what he did in the Minor Leagues and then up here, he’s hitting .300. But he’s young -- and as much as he can play, we’d love him to play.”