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.