Nationals player who was cut by the Royals last season tied an MLB record
Everyone loves a good underdog story, and there’s a fun one in the nation’s capital.
Well, maybe not so much for Royals fans.
Nationals outfielder Joey Wiemer, who is with his fifth franchise since 2020 (including four months with the Royals last year at their minor-league team in Omaha), reached base in each of his first 10 plate appearances to start the season.
The streak ended Monday night, but Wiemer tied former Blue Jays star Carlos Delgado (2002) for the longest streak to start a season since the dead-ball era (1920).
Wiemer is hardly an overnight success. He was drafted by the Brewers in 2020 and played in 151 games before he was traded to the Reds on July 30, 2024, along with former Royals pitcher Jakob Junis.
After playing in just two games with the Reds, Wiemer was dealt to the Royals with Jonathan India in the Brady Singer trade on Nov. 22, 2024. Weimer played in 72 games at Triple-A Omaha but was the odd man out when the Royals made a handful of trades last July. He was designated for assignment.
The Marlins signed Wiemer on Aug. 4, but he played in just 27 games and Miami sold him to the Giants on Nov. 21. The Giants cut him a few weeks later and he was selected off waivers by Washington on Jan. 5.
Amond all those moves, Weimer’s time with the Royals’ Class AAA affiliate apparently left a mark.
“I spent some time staring at the sky in Omaha,” he told MLB.com. “So it means a lot.
“I’m not trying to do too much. Just sticking with what’s working and keep swinging.”
One can’t blame the Royals for parting ways with Wiemer. He batted .182 with nine home runs in Omaha and twice spent time on the injured list. Wiemer’s best stretch with the Storm Chasers was last June, when he hit .259 with six home runs and 15 RBIs in 17 games.
But all that is in the past for Wiemer, 27, who is now batting .800 with two home runs, five runs scored and an absurd 588 OPS+.
This story was originally published March 31, 2026 at 12:42 PM.
