WASHINGTON, D.C. — The world was a much different place for Nolan Jones the last time he walked into the visitors’ clubhouse here at Nationals Park.

It was August 20, 2024, and Jones had just been activated off the injured list by the Colorado Rockies. Shelved for the second time during the season by a lower back strain, Jones was trying to work his way into the lineup. He was also keeping close tabs on his infant daughter, who had just arrived home after spending her first days inside the neonatal intensive care unit battling fluid in her lungs.

Jones knew he had a job to do with the Rockies, but he also knew his heart was back home in Colorado with his now-wife and new daughter.

“There was a lot going on in my life,” Jones said on Monday before the Cleveland Guardians opened a road series against the Washington Nationals. “I had just gotten off the ‘IL’ and had my daughter, and she was back home with my fiancé. I was thinking about her and how she was doing. Obviously, her health is the most important thing to me, plus what a mother goes through in the early stages of a newborn’s life. It’s difficult.”

It seems much of the last year-plus has been difficult for the 26-year-old Jones.

After finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting following a 2023 season in which he hit 20 home runs and had 20 stolen bases, Jones struggled to open the 2024 campaign. He slashed just .170/.243/.277 in his first 94 at-bats before going on the injured list to finish April on a sour note.

Jones missed time with the Rockies in 2024 with back and knee issues before returning to the field in a series at Washington. He finished strong average-wise, hitting .269, but did not hit a home run in his final 106 plate appearances.

Still, despite a down year, Jones said he was prepared to bounce back for the Rockies in 2025. Those plans changed quickly when he was traded to the Cleveland Guardians on March 22 for Tyler Freeman, one of Jones’ longest friends.

While Jones was eventually happy to return to the organization that selected him in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft, he admits the trade shocked him. The shock, Jones said, was because he believed he was part of the long-term core of players who would help the Rockies rebound after consecutive 100-loss seasons.

“It was a whirlwind couple of weeks for me, honestly, but it’s a great opportunity for me, Jones said. “Obviously, I struggled really hard last year, and the Rockies are trying to rebuild and figure out what they have over there and give their younger guys an opportunity.

“To be honest with you, I thought I was part of that. I thought that after my 2023 season (where he played in 106 games after his May 26 debut), 100-plus games isn’t a fluke. I had that bad year in 2024 dealing with some injuries and some off-the-field stuff, but I thought that I was going to get an opportunity to prove that I was part of the future there.

“It really caught me by surprise that they didn’t see it that way, which is the nature of the business, and I understand.”

Jones has put the trade behind him, instead focusing on helping Cleveland get back to the top of the American League Central. On a humid Monday night in Washington, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt had Jones batting eighth in the lineup and starting in right field.

Vogt has stuck with Jones even though the struggles at the plate are there again this season. He entered Monday on an 0-for-16 streak and slashing just .156/.278/.260 in 90 plate appearances.

Despite the low numbers, Vogt said he likes what he has seen at the plate from Jones, who leads the Guardians in average exit velocity at 95.0 mph when he puts the ball in play.

“Nolan hits the ball hard,” said Vogt, who retired from baseball in 2022 before taking over as Cleveland’s skipper in 2024. “The thing that we’ve seen with Nolan is that he knows the strike zone really well. His plate discipline is probably one of his best tools and, when he when he gets a hold of it, it goes.

“Obviously he’s not putting up the numbers that he would have liked, but I really like his at-bats. He’s starting to find a little more aggression at the plate. I think it’s close. I think it’s right there.”

Jones believes the same, saying he is “really optimistic and excited for the next couple of weeks.” He also says there’s a different outlook for him now, despite the lack of production that has plagued him early in 2025.

“My last year there (in Colorado), I was struggling on the field, but there were struggles off the field as well that I was dealing with,” Jones said. “I felt like it consumed my whole life. I really feel like the resources here are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

“Getting to talk to these people and our manager, who is shortly removed from the game and has had really good conversations with me and instilled confidence in me. It’s just trusting that I belong here and I belong out on that field.”