Melendez has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with three extra-base hits, six RBI, six runs scored, a stolen base and a 2:3 BB:K through six Cactus League games.
Melendez should be able to find a near-everyday home in the Royals' lineup this season, with catcher and designated hitter likely his two most common spots. He showed off solid power in 2022 with 18 home runs in 129 contests while frequently playing in the corner outfield. While it's unwise to read too much into spring stats, the fact that he's making some consistent contact is encouraging -- he batted .217 with a 24.5 percent strikeout rate last year. If nothing else, his positional versatility could be attractive to fantasy managers, especially if he ends up playing more than most catcher-eligible players.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Posts three hits
Rotowire
Melendez went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Guardians.
Melendez was solid atop the Royals' order, and he contributed an RBI single in the eighth inning as the team tried to claw back from a deficit. The rookie has hit safely in four of his last five games, contributing a home run, three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored while going 7-for-19 in that span. For the season, he's up to a .224/.321/.405 slash line with 18 home runs, 62 RBI, 57 runs scored and two stolen bases through 126 contests.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Tallies 18th homer
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-3 with two walks and a solo home run Wednesday against the Tigers.
Melendez took Will Vest deep to lead off the game for his 18th homer of the season. Melendez now has three home runs across his last seven starts, though he's gone hitless on four occasions in that span. Through 503 career plate appearances, Melendez owns a .314 wOBA and 101 wRC+.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Deep blast in win
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-2 win over Minnesota.
Melendez led off the first inning with a home run off righty starter Bailey Ober to open the scoring. During his last five games, the catcher has posted a .850 slugging percentage over 20 at-bats with two home runs and five RBI
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Crushes homer in win
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Twins.
Melendez got the Royals on the board with his third-inning blast. The long ball was his first since Sept. 3, snapping a 13-game drought in which he hit just .188 with two doubles, a triple, five RBI and nine runs scored. The 23-year-old continues to put up solid counting stats with 16 homers, three triples, 18 doubles, 56 RBI and 51 runs scored through 115 contests, but his slash line sits at .223/.318/.401.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Scores four runs in win
Rotowire
Melendez went 3-for-5 with two RBI, four runs scored and a steal in Saturday's victory over the Red Sox.
Melendez singled home Nate Eaton in the third inning of Saturday's contest, then picked up another RBI in the sixth when Michael Massey scored on the catcher's groundout. Melendez reached home on four singles, including one from Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt and two from Vinnie Pasquantino. Melendez also swiped a bag, his second of the season. This three-hit outing was arguably his best performance of the season and gives him hits in back-to-back games. Melendez's batting average is now up to .222 after the stellar outing.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Two RBI in win
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, a solo home run and two total runs scored in Saturday's 12-2 win against the Tigers.
Melendez singled home Nate Eaton in the fourth inning, then homered in the sixth. It was Melendez's 15th homer of the season and his first since Aug. 10. He also picked up a stolen base in the game, his first of the season. The catcher has been off to a hot start this month, going 4-for-13 (.308) and is now slashing .224/.319/.406 on the season.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Takes seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Melendez is on the bench for Tuesday's game against the White Sox.
This marks consecutive games out of the lineup for Melendez, who has gone 6-for-29 with 10 strikeouts in his last 10 games. Kyle Isbel gets the start in left field Tuesday.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Melendez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Melendez started the past eight games, with six starts in left field and two behind the plate, and will take a seat Sunday after he posted a .669 OPS during that stretch. Brent Rooker will man left field while Salvador Perez and Sebastian Rivero are at designated hitter and catcher, respectively.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Healthy scratch Sunday
Rotowire
Manager Mike Matheny said Melendez was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Dodgers in order to "give another player an opportunity," Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The 23-year-old was penciled in to bat leadoff in Sunday's series finale, but he instead came off the bench in favor of Nate Eaton. It's good news Melendez isn't dealing with an injury, but Matheny's post-game comments aren't exactly encouraging. Melendez has an .805 OPS with four home runs, 13 RBI and eight runs through 13 games in August.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Late scratch Sunday
Rotowire
Melendez was scratched from Sunday's lineup against the Dodgers for undisclosed reasons.
The 23-year-old was slated to start in left field and bat leadoff, but he was instead scratched from the lineup about an hour before first pitch. It's unclear if Melendez is dealing with an injury or if manager Mike Matheny simply opted for a late lineup change. Nate Eaton has entered the starting nine in Melendez's place.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Three hits including homer
Rotowire
Melendez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.
Melendez delivered a monster performance Wednesday, delivering a go-ahead solo home run off Jake Diekman in the bottom of the seventh inning before ripping an RBI single in the following frame and coming around to score on a Salvador Perez base knock. He also had another single and a walk earlier in the contest. The rookie has gone 9-for-25 with four homers, 12 RBI and six runs over his last seven games.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Drives in six runs
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-3 with a home run and six RBI in Sunday's 13-5 win over Boston.
Melendez hit an RBI single in the third inning before drilling a three-run shot in the fifth. He later added two RBI sacrifice flies in the contest. After a nine-game homerless drought in which Melendez went 7-for-33 (.212), he has three long balls and 10 RBI over his last four appearances. On the year, the 23-year-old rookie is slashing .236/.320/.442 with 29 extra-base hits and 38 RBI through 78 games.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Opens scoring with 12th homer
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.
Melendez hit a leadoff homer for the second time in three games, and this one wasn't cheap. He took Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi deep on a 434-foot blast that left the bat at 107.9 mph. Melendez's power has translated well in the majors -- he's logged a 10 percent barrel rate while popping 12 long balls and maintaining a .429 slugging percentage through 77 contests. He's added a .231 batting average, 32 RBI, 31 runs scored, 14 doubles and two triples across 311 plate appearances, and the departure of Whit Merrifield has given Melendez a chance to be the everyday leadoff hitter.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: On base thrice in loss
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Yankees.
The teams combined for six hits and five walks, with Melendez accounting for two of the Royals' four hits. The catcher has found success since the All-Star breaking, putting up a seven-game hitting streak. During that span, he's gone 10-for-28 (.357) with a home run and four doubles while hitting leadoff four times as he continues to challenge Whit Merrifield for that spot in the order. Melendez is up to a .233/.316/.429 slash line with 10 homers, two triples, 13 doubles, 28 RBI and 25 runs scored through 68 contests.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Slugs 10th homer
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Monday's 7-0 victory versus the Angels.
Melendez went 0-for-4 and struck out three times in his first four plate appearances, but he turned things around with a 406-foot, two-run blast in the eighth inning. The homer was his 10th of the campaign, making him one of seven rookies to reach that mark so far this season. Melendez is slashing a modest .227/.312/.424, however.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Reinstated from restricted list
Rotowire
The Royals reinstated Melendez (personal) from the restricted list Monday.
Melendez was one of 10 Royals players who will rejoin the 26-man active roster after being ineligible to play during the four-game weekend series in Toronto due his vaccination status. He closed the Royals' first-half schedule with a .217/.309/.406 slash line to go with nine home runs, 25 RBI and 22 runs across 61 games. With Salvador Perez (thumb) unlikely to be ready to return from the 10-day injured list until some point in August, Melendez will step back in as the Royals' clear No. 1 catcher when the team opens its second-half slate Friday against the Rays.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Sent to restricted list
Rotowire
The Royals placed Melendez (personal) on the restricted list Thursday.
Melendez is one of 10 Royals on the 26-man active roster who won't be eligible for the four-game series in Toronto due to his vaccination status. He'll be formally reinstated from the restricted list for the Royals' first game coming out of the All-Star break July 22 against Tampa Bay. In addition to Melendez, fellow catcher Cam Gallagher (personal) is also on the restricted list for the Toronto series, so the Royals will bring up two backstops (Sebastian Rivero and Freddy Fermin) from the minors as replacement options at the position.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Two extra-base hits in loss
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-5 with a triple, a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to the Tigers.
Melendez hit a leadoff triple in the first inning and scored on an Andrew Benintendi single. In the ninth, Melendez added a double, but he was left on base. The catcher is 8-for-33 (.242) with three homers in his last nine games. With Whit Merrifield (toe) and Michael Taylor (shoulder) out of action, Melendez has gotten some looks as the leadoff hitter. He's slashing .221/.314/.413 with nine homers, two triples, nine doubles, 25 RBI and 22 runs scored in 60 contests.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Sitting for Game 1 on Monday
Rotowire
Melendez will sit Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader with the Tigers.
Melendez will get a breather after he went 1-for-11 with two RBI in the series against the Guardians. Cam Gallagher will take over behind the plate and bat eighth in Game 1.
