Rubén Menes

Rubén (José or Jesús?) Menes Gómez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 185 lb.

• Born April 17, 2002 in Matanzas, Matanzas Cuba

BR register page

Biographical Information

Rubén Menes has pitched in Cuba and the US.

He went three scoreless innings (1 H, 2 BB, 3 K) for the Cocodrilos de Matanzas in the 2020-2021 Serie Nacional. He defected in 2021. Signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, he spent 2023 and 2024 with the FCL Cardinals, going 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA the first year and 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA the second. He split 2025 between the FCL Cardinals (2-3, 3.72 in 10 G) and Palm Beach Cardinals (0-2, 14.63 in 3 G).

Playing for the Spanish national team in the 2025 European Championship (a team that was roughly 50% Cuban), posting pretty much identical lines (2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) in each of his two outings, both against the Czech national team. His debut came in relief of Jorge Balboa, taking over in the 4th with a 4-0 deficit, one on and one out. He got Milan Prokop and Willie Escala to end that inning then had a 1-2-3 5th against Michal Šindelka (K), Martin Červenka and Matěj Menšík. He made it 6 in a row when he retired Martin Mužík but then hit Marek Krejčiřík, walked Vojtěch Menšík on four pitches and yielded a two-run double to Max Prejda. Fernando Baez took over. His Bronze Medal Game appearance not only had an identical line but pretty much the same order of events. Relieving Carlos Sierra in the 6th with a 4-2 deficit, he pitched two shutout frames then flagged, with a four-pitch walk to a Menšík (Matěj this time) and a two-run hit (this time a dinger by Červenka); he gave way to Peter Bonilla.