DETROIT -- After practicing what general manager J.J. Picollo called a ¡°high level of patience¡± with an outfielder the Royals believe in but who hasn¡¯t reached his potential yet in the big leagues, the club optioned MJ Melendez to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
It was the corresponding move for outfielder Mark Canha returning from the 10-day injured list before Saturday¡¯s 3-1 loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park.
As the Royals¡¯ losing streak extended to six on Saturday amid a 1-8 road trip with one game left to play, Melendez¡¯s struggles were particularly amplified within the entire offense¡¯s inability to score runs right now.
On a team that is averaging just 2.86 runs per game this season, Melendez had only logged four hits in 52 plate appearances this year, with one double and one home run. He was slashing .085/.173/.170 with 20 strikeouts in 16 games.
With Canha ready to be activated after the minimum 10-day IL stint, the Royals had to make a move. They believe this will allow Melendez to go to Triple-A, get everyday at-bats and try to show sustained production to find a way back to the big leagues.
¡°We talked about a handful of different ways we could go, but just listening to the coaching staff, having my own opinion, we were all on the same page,¡± said Picollo, who joined the team Friday on the tail end of a 10-day road trip to be there for the discussion with Melendez.
¡°You can tell at times when a player is pressing. And if they¡¯re pressing, it¡¯s even more difficult to perform. In this case, MJ seemed to be ¡ the one who would benefit by going back to the Minor Leagues.¡±
The 26-year-old Melendez broke camp with the Royals as their left fielder. The club has consistently stated and shown its belief in Melendez, who was drafted in the second round of the 2017 Draft and has been an everyday player for Kansas City for the past three seasons.
Since Melendez¡¯s debut on May 3, 2022, he¡¯s played in 428 of the Royals¡¯ 486 games, second-most among Royals to Bobby Witt Jr. (470).
But Melendez¡¯s lack of production meant the Royals needed to make a move, letting the outfielder go to Triple-A and work on his swing. Few can impact the baseball like Melendez; when he¡¯s at his best, he¡¯s a dynamic power threat the Royals want to be able to count on in the middle of the lineup.
¡°We know what kind of impact he can have on a lineup,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°We know he has an exceptionally high ceiling, performance-wise, offensively. We need to try to get him to that point where he can be a huge bat in the middle of a winning Major League team.¡±
That¡¯s why the Royals have been patient with Melendez, even with regression in each season of his young career. Melendez slashed .206/.273/.400 with 17 homers in 2024.
¡°He¡¯s very talented. That¡¯s the thing,¡± Picollo said. ¡°He¡¯s got tools that are hard to find. He¡¯s got well-above-average power. He¡¯s turned into a very good defender in left field. He throws very well. He¡¯s an above-average runner. When a player has tools like that, you want to stick with him. Because you know he can impact the game in various ways.
¡°That¡¯s why our patience was a little bit more long-lasting with MJ, just because we believe those tools are going to turn into skill. And we still believe that they will. Just the timetable may be a little bit different.¡±
The Royals are looking for any offensive spark, especially in the outfield, and the lack of production there didn¡¯t help Melendez, either. Even more so because the Royals weren¡¯t able to land a corner outfield bat over the offseason -- despite several attempts in free agency and trades -- instead entering the season needing Melendez or Hunter Renfroe to bounce back from tough seasons. Renfroe is hitting .130 with a .383 OPS this year and is not playing every day.
Canha didn¡¯t play Saturday against Tigers righty Casey Mize, but he¡¯ll likely see more at-bats against lefties. Melendez¡¯s absence also gives Drew Waters more of an opportunity to stick; playing left field Saturday, he walked twice and reached on an error.
But the Royals were only able to score once against Mize on Freddy Fermin¡¯s home run, handing Seth Lugo the loss despite allowing only three runs -- all on Spencer Torkelson¡¯s home run -- in 6 2/3 innings.
Picollo stated Saturday his confidence in the current roster when asked how patient the club will be with other hitters who are struggling to produce.
¡°Teams go through these things,¡± Picollo said. ¡°There are ups and downs. We¡¯ll come out on the other side. It¡¯s just a matter of how quickly. ¡ We¡¯re being challenged a little bit earlier [this year]. We¡¯ll find out how tough we are and how we bounce back and who we are. In the end, we¡¯ll be defined at the end of September by how we get through things like this.¡±
Now, Melendez's goal is to go to Triple-A and keep working on the swing changes he has been working on since the offseason -- without the pressure of needing results every night at the big league level.
He¡¯ll likely join Omaha for its road series in Toledo on Tuesday and get everyday at-bats there.
How soon he returns to Kansas City remains to be seen.
¡°As I shared with [Melendez], there are very few players in this world who don¡¯t get optioned at some point,¡± Picollo said. ¡°It¡¯s certainly not the end of his career. We¡¯d like to think it¡¯s just the start of a new beginning. Take advantage of the opportunity to go out and play in Triple-A, play well and get back here. Here, it¡¯s about performance. You¡¯ve got to be able to perform.¡±