MJ Melendez To Begin A Rehab Assignment On Thursday
Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday night with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Melendez is getting closer to a return to the Royals lineup after spraining his ankle on July 14. If the 25-year-old can avoid a setback with his ankle at Northwest Arkansas, there's a chance he could be back for the weekend series against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Before getting hurt just before the All-Star break, Melendez was serving as Kansas City's starting left fielder. The former second-round selection in 2017 is hitting just .196 (52-for-265) on the year with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and 26 runs scored in 85 games, making him useful as outfield depth in AL-only leagues for his power.
Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) is recovering in Kansas City and has already started hitting in the cages and doing some defensive drills on the field. Melendez's timeline to return from a sprained left ankle could be 10 days to two weeks, putting him in line to rejoin the Royals by either the end of July or early August. Whether or not a minor-league rehab assignment is required will be determined later this week after seeing how the 25-year-old former top prospect progresses. Veteran utility man Adam Frazier has taken on an everyday role as in left field as KC's primary leadoff man in Melendez's absence, but his fantasy appeal remains minimal while batting 35-for-175 (.200) with three home runs, 13 RBI, 20 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 65 games.
The Kansas City Royals placed outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 15) with a left-ankle sprain on Tuesday. The move to the IL comes after Melendez sprained his ankle in Sunday's contest against the Boston Red Sox. At the very least, the 25-year-old will miss the first six games of the second half of the season. He'll be eligible to return to the Royals on July 26. Melendez, a left-handed hitter, does have 11 home runs in 85 games this year and is on track to set a new career-high in that category, but he's also hitting just .192 (51-for-265) and lacks speed (two steals). For however long he's out, both Dairon Blanco and Garrett Hampson could see more playing time in Kansas City in left field. Melendez has hit .273 (9-for-33) with three homers in 10 games in July.
Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, including going deep for the 11th time in Friday's 6-1 win over the Red Sox. It has been a disappointing season for the 25-year-old, slashing just .196/.259/.392 so far, but in July he has shown signs of life. This month the left-handed hitter has gone 9-for-28 (.321) and has homered in three of his last four games. If he can keep it up he'd surely be an attractive fantasy asset, and he offers fantasy managers the rare C/OF position eligibility combination despite not logging a start at catcher yet this season.
Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez turned in a big performance in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Melendez went 2-for-4 with a grand slam to power the Royals to the win over LA. The veteran blew open the game in the seventh inning when he deposited a ball over the wall in right field to clear the bases and put KC up 5-2. Melendez worked a 12-pitch at-bat before ripping his first career grand slam, a shot that traveled 395 feet and had an exit velocity of 103.2 MPH. It has been a rough go for the veteran this season as he is now hitting .168 with eight homers, 19 runs, 23 RBI, and two steals across 196 at-bats in 2024. Hopefully the big night on Saturday will get his season turned around.
Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run in Thursday's loss against the division rival Minnesota Twins. Melendez crushed a first-pitch fastball 416 feet off Caleb Thielber in the top of the fourth inning to extend the Royals lead to 4-0 at the time, but it would not be enough. With his homer, Melendez picked up his first RBI on the road in 2024. The 25-year-old entered the season with high hopes, but has struggling through the first third of the season with a .176 batting average to go along with five home runs, 13 RBI and two stolen bases. Having catcher eligibility on most platforms helps Melendez, but his overall struggles make him replaceable for a hot bat on the waiver wire this far into the season.
MJ Melendez Knocks Two Extra-Base Hits On Thursday
Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez continued his hot start to the season on Thursday, leading the Royals to a 10-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Melendez went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI. The 25-year-old hasn't lived up to expectations in his first few years in the bigs, but it is important to remember that he is still young and he may be coming around, as he is hitting .333/.391/.667 so far this year. It is a small sample, but it is something worth keeping an eye on, especially in leagues where he is still catcher eligible.
Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez hit his second home run of the spring on Saturday in a 7-6 Cactus League loss to the Cubs. Melendez went 2-for-4 in the contest, with a double, home run, three RBI, and one run scored. He was also caught trying to steal third base. The Royals' leadoff hitter is stuffing the stat sheet this spring, going 11-for-30 (.367) with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored, a stolen base, and a BB:K of 5:5. The lefty hitter is currently projected to be in a platoon situation as he was much more productive against RHP last season, but if he were able to secure a full-time role he would be much more valuable for fantasy purposes hitting atop the Royals lineup and he may even attain eligibility at catcher on some sites.
MJ Melendez To Primarily Play The Outfield This Season
Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is expected to primarily play the outfield in 2024 after he mostly served as a catcher in his second MLB season in 2023. The 25-year-old produced impressive numbers at the position in 148 games over 602 plate appearances, slashing .235/.316/.398 with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, 29 doubles, three triples, six stolen bases and 65 runs scored after hitting 18 home runs in just 129 games in his rookie season in 2022. Melendez's numbers slipped a bit in his sophomore campaign with KC, but he still hit the ball hard and had an exit velocity in the 96th percentile, and he could become even more productive at the plate this year if he's not catching at all. The main problem for his fantasy value moving forward is that he's going to lose catcher eligibility.
Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez put together a solid game on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, but his team ultimately fell to the Seattle Mariners 6-4. The 24-year-old came into the 2023 campaign with solid power potential, but he's gone deep just 12 times across 115 games and owns a .235 batting average with 50 runs, 44 RBI, and six stolen bases. With that kind of production, he doesn't have much value in standard and one-catcher formats, and fantasy managers can find better options than Melendez on the waiver wire.
