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.

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.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 24-year-old could use a breather after going 0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts on Friday. Melendez is hitting .154/.250/.180 with no homers, two RBI and a 14/4 K/BB ratio over his last 11 games. Samad Taylor will cover left field and bat seventh versus left-hander Julio Urias on Saturday.

Kansas City Royals outfielder/catcher MJ Melendez went 3-for-4 with two RBI, two stolen bases, a run scored, and a walk in Thursday's 6-5 win against the Tampa Bay Rays. He legged out a go-ahead infield single on a dribbler during the ninth inning. It's been a quiet year for the 24-year-old, but he is hitting the ball as hard as any fantasy-eligible backstop. Melendez has exhibited a severe lack of plate discipline, though, rendering him not much more than a borderline hold in shallow leagues at a barren position. At least the big-armed Melendez regularly bats in the top-half of the lineup to help keep his fantasy value somewhat afloat. The left-handed hitter is slashing .220/.303/.356 with six home runs, 31 RBI, and four thefts in 250 at-bats this year.

Kansas City Royals outfielder/catcher MJ Melendez is back in the starting lineup Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Shane McClanahan. The 24-year-old got the afternoon off against another left-hander in the Tigers' Matthew Boyd on Wednesday and has a tough task ahead of him Thursday against one of the very best southpaws in the game. It's been tough sledding for Melendez at the plate this season as he's hitting just .211 with six home runs, two stolen bases, and a .644 OPS across 279 trips to the plate. However, his .322 xwOBA continues to dominate his .285 wOBA, so fantasy managers' patience could very well be rewarded in the season's second half.

Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez is not in the team's starting lineup for a Monday game against the San Diego Padres. Normally when Melendez takes a seat it comes when the opposing team has a lefty on the mound but that is not the case on Monday as Michael Wacha will toe the rubber for the Padres. Melendez will give way to Hunter Dozier, who is playing in the outfield and hitting seventh. Melendez is hitting .221 with four homers,18 runs, and 18 RBI on the year.

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is getting a day off Saturday against the Athletics. The left-handed hitter has sat out four of the nine games in which Kansas City has gone against a southpaw pitcher this season. The 24-year-old has a fine slash line of .300/.344/.500 in 30 at-bats versus lefties this year, however, so it's a curious choice by manager Matt Quatraro. Melendez takes a seat while riding a modest five-game hitting streak after a quiet start to the year. The speedy backstop has also registered an elite 57.7% hard-hit rate in 2023, making Melendez an under-the-radar buy-low proposition in fantasy while occupying a premium spot in the Royals batting order most days.

Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed slugger will miss his second straight game after exiting early on Sunday due to back tightness. The team hasn't placed Melendez on the injured list, so hopefully this is only a minor injury. In the meantime, Franmil Reyes will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth versus Ryne Nelson. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option than Reyes for Tuesday's slate.

Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez (back) exited Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels due to lower back tightness. He went 1-for-2 with a solo home run before exiting in the fourth inning. The 24-year-old is off to a slow start in 2023, slashing .178/.282/.342 with two homers, 10 RBI, and nine runs across 85 plate appearances. Melendez is considered day-to-day heading into Monday's contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hunter Dozier replaced Melendez in Sunday's game. Dozier would see an uptick in at-bats if Melendez is forced to miss any time, but is only slashing .188/.204/.250 on the season.

Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Texas Rangers. This appears to be a routine day off for the left-handed slugger. The 23-year-old could certainly use it after slashing .152/.263/.303 with one homer, two RBI and a league-leading 15 strikeouts to begin the season. Nate Eaton will cover right field and bat eighth versus left-hander Andrew Heaney on Monday.

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is out of the starting lineup Tuesday when the Royals take on the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. It's the first day off for Melendez so far this season as he made his first appearance behind the plate Monday with Salvador Perez out of the lineup. The 24-year-old made an impact in Monday's 9-5 win over the Blue Jays as he hit his first home run of the season along with a double and two runs scored on the evening. Those were actually his first two hits of the season as he's now gone just 2-for-14 with three walks across 17 trips to the plate on the young season. Perez is back behind the plate and hitting third Tuesday night.

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is hitting leadoff and catching Monday night versus the Toronto Blue Jays. One of the more interesting fantasy players due to his high upside and defensive versatility, Melendez has gone hitless in three games to begin the season but Monday marks the first time he will see action behind the plate as Salvador Perez will sit out of the series opener. The 24-year-old appeared in 129 games with the Royals last season and hit .217 with 18 home runs, two steals, and a 706 OPS across 534 trips to the plate. Melendez certainly boasts 20-homer upside this season as he will see nearly everyday action as a fantastic dynasty league asset moving forward.

Kansas City Royals catcher and outfielder MJ Melendez isn't in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead, Kyle Isbel, Michael A. Taylor, and Hunter Dozier make up the outfield for Kansas City while veteran Salvador Perez does the catching. Presumably, this is a non-injury-related day off for the 23-year-old, who is 0-for-18 with five walks and seven strikeouts over his last six games. On a normal basis, his dual eligibility gives him fantasy intrigue, but he should be left on your bench for obvious reasons tonight.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez has been scratched from the Royals lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Melendez was in the initial lineup, starting in left field and batting leadoff but the team put out another lineup a few hours later and he was absent. Kyle Isbel is now in left field and Michael A. Taylor is batting leadoff. There's no word on why he was a late scratch but the team should provide an update following the conclusion of Sunday's contest.

Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez doubled, singled, and walked in four plate appearances during Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Since being called up at the beginning of May, the rookie has strong numbers, slashing .254/.348/.455 with six long balls, 14 runs, and 17 RBI across 40 games. Although Salvador Perez is locked in at catcher, Melendez is still finding playing time at designated hitter and in the outfield. A top prospect coming into the season, fantasy managers looking for some help at the backstop position should be looking to add the 23-year-old.

Kansas City Royals rookie catcher MJ Melendez is starting in right field and is batting fifth on Tuesday against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Cal Quantrill. It will be the second straight game that Melendez has started in right field after previously starting five games behind the plate when Salvador Perez (thumb) was on the injured list. The 23-year-old has gone 20-for-77 (.260) with four home runs and nine RBI in his first 23 major league games, and if he continues to hit, the Royals will find a place for him in their lineups. Melendez is the team's top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and those in deep mixed and AL-only leagues should be looking to add him off the waiver wire if he's available.

Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest against the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Dakota Hudson. Melendez is batting seventh and starting at designated hitter. It'll be his Major League debut. The 23-year-old hit .412 with a .474 on-base percentage and a home run in 19 plate appearances during Spring Training action. In 91 plate appearances with Kansas City's Triple-A affiliate, he's hit .167 with a .286 on-base percentage, a pair of home runs, and three stolen bases. Melendez is worth a look as a streaming option in deeper leagues in his first Major League game. He's certainly a player to keep an eye on as the season progresses.