MJ

Melendez

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

The deal which was agreed to over the weekend is official now that the 27-year-old slugger has passed his physical. The former top prospect is an intriguing addition to the Mets’ bench and could wind up carving out some fantasy value in deeper leagues if he’s able to find his way into regular playing time.

The 27-year-old slugger will also have the ability to make up to an extra $500,000 in incentives. The former top prospect has slashed a miserable .215/.297/.388 with 52 homers, 163 RBI and a 437/166 K/BB ratio over 1,652 plate appearances to begin his big league career. He’ll add some left-handed thump off of the Mets’ bench.

Melendez was one of the top hitting prospects in baseball and showed flashes of brilliance in his first couple seasons with Kansas City, but to say things fell over the last couple campaigns is quite the understatement. He’ll likely get a chance with a new org, but on a “prove it” type of deal. Clarke will also likely be org depth for a new org in 2026.

A rare highlight in a dismal season. Melendez got the triple and the homer in his first two at-bats and finished the cycle with a double in the seventh. He’s now batting .257/.314/.489 in 98 games for Omaha, though his 29% strikeout rate is discouraging.

Melendez, 26, loses his roster spot with Mike Yastrzemski coming over from the Giants. The left-handed hitter showed considerable offensive upside, but there’s just not enough consistency here to believe that he’ll be fantasy relevant anytime soon. A change in organizations may be necessary.

Yastrzemski gives Kansas City another righty-mashing platoon outfielder and figures to play over MJ Melendez in right field while Jac Caglianone (hamstring) is on the shelf.

Ugly. Especially in a game in which the rest of the Royals combined for 12 hits and just three strikeouts. After a miserable first couple of months in Triple-A, Melendez finally got hot in July, and it seemed like the Royals might be right to give him another opportunity. Unfortunately, he’s responded by going 0-for-12 so far. What chance he had of being part of the Royals’ post-deadline plans should already be fading.

This rumor was reported earlier and is now official. Melendez is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday, but Omaha was playing in Syracuse, so there’s a chance he simply would not have made it to Chicago in time to prepare for the game as a starter.

The move is not likely to be official until Thursday, but it’s not a huge surprise considering Melendez is hitting .323 with a 1.051 OPS, six home runs, 16 RBI, and three steals over the last month. Whether he finds himself with everyday at-bats once he comes up is anybody’s guess.