He became a regular player in 1963. He was traded with Denny Lemaster to the Astros in 1967. He played for Houston for four years, and was elected to the All-Star team as a backup player twice. He was then part of an eight-player trade the Astros made with the Reds. The trade was Menke, Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, and future Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan for All-star Lee May, All-star Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart. 