The Royals announced that outfielder MJ Melendez has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha. The move opens up a roster spot for Mark Canha, as the veteran outfielder/first baseman was reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
Canha will miss just the minimum 10 days, as he has made a pretty quick recovery from a left abductor strain. Acquired from the Brewers in a trade right near the end of Spring Training, Canha got off to a scorching start (.971 OPS in 17 plate appearances) in Kansas City before going the IL. He’ll now step right back into his intended role as a right-handed hitting option at first base and in the corner outfield slots, though obviously Canha will get more than just a part-time role if he keeps hitting anywhere close to his gaudy small sample size of 2025 at-bats.
More time in left field in particular seems likely for Canha now that Melendez is heading down to the minors. A consensus top-100 prospect heading into the 2022 campaign, Melendez’s first three MLB seasons weren’t very productive, as he hit only .221/.303/.397 with 51 home runs over 1587 plate appearances. This translated to a 91 wRC+ and a below-replacement -0.8 fWAR over the 2022-24 seasons, as Melendez (a converted former catcher) didn’t help his cause by delivering subpar outfield defense along with his uninspiring hitting.
Unfortunately for Melendez, things have gotten even worse early in the 2025 season. He is hitting only .085/.173/.170 in 52 plate appearances, resulting in the rare circumstance of a negative wRC+ (-2). Strikeouts have always been a problem for Melendez, but his swings-and-misses have been taken to an extreme this year, as he has whiffed 20 times in his 52 PA.
Melendez’s struggles have gotten so extreme that the Royals had no choice but to send him to Omaha for what all sides hope can be a refresh. More will likely be known about the Royals’ specific plans for Melendez when manager Matt Quatraro speaks with reporters later today, but it stands to reason that Melendez could be facing a pretty lengthy Triple-A stint. He made some swing changes during the offseason that either need more time to gel, or Melendez could look to overhaul his approach at the plate yet again. Beyond the mechanics, a month or two of strong results in the minors would surely do wonders for Melendez from a confidence and mental perspective, given all his frustrations at the big league level.
From a contractual control standpoint, the 26-year-old Melendez has another minor league option year remaining besides this one. He is in the first of four arbitration-eligible seasons (as a Super Two player), and agreed with Kansas City on an arb-avoiding $2.625MM salary for the 2025 campaign. Despite his prospect pedigree and his relatively limited price tag, however, Melendez looks like a potential non-tender candidate at this point if he can’t get on track in a hurry.
Optioning Melendez brings fresh attention to the state of the Royals outfield, and the team’s inability to make a big upgrade to its outfield mix last offseason. Kansas City made the playoffs in 2024 despite ranking 27th of 30 teams in outfield bWAR (1.0), but addressed the position only by trading for converted second baseman Jonathan India and then getting Canha in a late-spring pickup. General manager J.J. Picollo openly admitted to some frustration over not being able to land a bigger bat via trade or free agency, though in getting outbid for Jurickson Profar, the Royals at least avoided another kind of problem.
Through 21 games this season, the 8-13 Royals have gotten even less from their outfielders, as the group’s combined -1.3 bWAR is the worst in baseball. A healthy Canha can help in some respect, but acquiring another outfielder seems like a must for K.C., even in this early stage of the season.
Why MJ
He no good he no good he no good baby he no good
@Dumpster – Are you gonna say it again? LOL
MJ’s last 500 PAs have been rough and he’s striking out at nearly a 40% clip with no walks or pop thus far in ’25.
500 PA. Meh. Small sample size. Don’t really know you have til at least 1200. Let him play.
(Yours cordially, AL central)
Melendez can’t hit and he can’t field. He’s been terrible as a big leaguer this is well deserved.
He’s done more with his life than you ever will.
Has he though?
Way to make it weirdly personal. Is he your dad?
He’s had 1400 big league at bats. It’s not a small sample size. He’s been terrible he’s not good enough to be a big leaguer.
He’s done more with his life than you ever will.
And what are you doing with your life? Trolling a stranger for reasons you can’t explain?
Oh, I have my reasons.
Brother what is your point? I think Melendez is a great guy, nothing against him personally, but as a Royals fan, he needed to go. He was not capable of being an MLB caliber player, especially for a team with playoff aspirations.
We are successful in our own ways and I damn well know I’m better at my job than he has been at his. I hope the best for him and hope he finds his swing, but this was overdue.
Is this Mervyl Sr?
King. Of. Cards. bought a pack of smokes, a 40 of Hamms, and is playing in the sandbox. Earlier he had a little go at the sit and spin. And here comes the ruling: why yes, King. Of. Cards. has done more with his life than MJ Melendez.
He’s lucky they’ve kept him around this long.
It’s about time.
Jac Caglione or bust.
Caglianone is hitting .204 in AA right now… unless things start to click he won’t/shouldn’t see the bigs this year, also the outfield is the main concern right now and I don’t think Jac can play outfield. John Rave makes more sense or even Cam Devanney even though Cam has seen only a few games in the outfield. But, both of them would require a move on the 40 man roster (DFA Renfroe). Joey Wiemer and Tyler Gentry are both already on the 40 man but both of them are having pretty abysmal years in AAA right now.
Actually… Nick Loftin makes sense as well.. almost forgot about him. He’s already on the 40 man roster and can play just about any spot on the field.
Big deal. His average is .204 through just a handful of games. The fact that he hits for as much power as anyone else in the minors is much more relevant. He hit a ball with a 120 EV recently, which is basically unheard of. There is no way he’s staying in the minors all year, especially given how poorly the Royals have been hitting. When you have light-tower power like he does, they will find a spot for you, outfield or elsewhere.
Caglianone or bust! I dont know where he gets his at bats, DH, have to get India starts in the IF/OF, he can move around. Royals have a SP to trade, they could land a bat and still have a nice six man rotation. Maybe they get Cedric Mullins off the O’s.
Royals should use Cags like they used Wil Myers in 2012 – trade him for MLB level talent. Talk to some bad teams with good bats (St. Louis, Athletics) and try to get a couple lefty outfielders / utility players that could beef up the top half of the order. Something valuable now that puts wins on the board. Get this culture in KC going in the right direction – and lock those players down for 4-6 years.
MJ has 4 hits in 52 plate appearances, dude needs start hitting…
hitting the road Jack more like
The Royals should have traded Melendez three years ago as a CATCHER. A team with a superstar long term catcher should treat the position the same way NFL teams with a superstar quarterback does. Trade the young backup to another team looking for a starter. The Patriots didn’t try to convert Jimmy Garappalo into a wide receiver, they cashed him in to a desperate team and got great trade value for him.
In 2022, the Royals could have easily flipped him for a young pitcher or position player at a position of need. Now? Melendez will likely be non tendered this offseason and be lost for nothing. Baseball GMs are just becoming too afraid of trading away a guy that might end up good somewhere else instead of worrying about improving their own team.
I never understood why they moved him away from catcher. Was his defense that bad behind the plate? He needs a full reset where he can catch at AAA Tue/Wed/Sat and DH on Sundays and rebuild, and get traded at the deadline for a relief pitcher piece to a team that will just let him catch and bat 9th. Joey Bart is being useful in Pittsburgh for example.
And the Pirates failed there by not trading Davis and/or the other kid and instead kept three catchers with a high prospect pedigree.
In his brief timing catching in the majors, he was rated as the worst framing catcher in baseball. His defense was pretty atrocious.
That is why you trade him as a prospect before other teams figure that out. It doesn’t matter what happens to him AFTER he is dealt. That would be his new team’s problem.
The Cubs have this problem with Moises Ballesteros. Nobody thinks he’s a good defensive catcher, so the question becomes can he hit in the majors enough to catch 50 games a year and DH 80. But he’s not going to get the chance to get steady playing time in the big leagues for the Cubs even if they end the Justin Turner experiment. A team like the Rockies should send the Cubs whatever veterans the Cubs want (McMahon and Freeland for example) and let Ballesteros bat 9th.
I was saying exactly this back when he hit all the home runs. The strikeout problems were evident then. And HR hitters have never faired well in KC.
Speaking of: the Royals should be talking to St. Louis about Jac Caglianone. The Cardinals were one pick shy of getting Caglianone in the 2024 draft and Caglianone has the potential to be the next Pujols / McGwire for the gateway city.
The Cardinals have two players the Royals could desperately use – Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar. If the Royals could move a package including Caglianone for the lefties, it could be extremely beneficial to both clubs.
For better or worse, that is not what the Rockies do. Maybe being as bad as they have been to start the year might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back this season, but I seriously doubt it. Going back to the 1993 Expansion Draft, they have always preferred veterans over young players.
I believe they were working out a trade to the Marlins a couple of years ago but the GM for Miami was fired.
There’s a reason you never see prospect for prospect trades. If a team thats near 100 losses tries to trade their best future asset you would question it.
But you have to look at it as he would be much less valuable being kept and changing positions than being dealt. If you move a good catcher bat into the the corner outfield, you likely just make him a middle of the road outfield bat. So you have taken your”best future asset” and downgraded it by yourself.
Prospect for prospect trades can and have worked. Zac Gallen for Jazz Chisholm comes to mind. Trade from a surplus for a position of need.
@Hifkew – Agree, he had tremendous trade value as a catcher and was coming off a 41 homer minor league season. He threw out like 40% of runners and was considered a good pitch blocker.
91 wRC+ would play at catcher
About time
It’s about freakin time, I’ve never seen anyone get as much opportunity to stick in the majors as him, he’s sucked for 3-31/2 years already, I don’t really want to see him again
Lot of brutal slash lines around the league in the early going. This season may be worse offensively than last season by the time it’s over
MJ was barely worth having as a catcher. As a LF it was silly that played him as long as they did.
Time to give 2022 1st round pick (9th overall) Gavin Cross a shot
The Royals have the the worst offensive outfield in the league by fWAR and one of the worst defending outfields as well. It might force them to trade for someone to salvage their playoff hopes.