Young Royals Outfielder Listed As Dead Weight On Team's Roster By MLB Writer

This young outfielder has not lived up to expectations.

Oct 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez (1) runs to first base during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have a 7-7 record after 14 games in the 2025 season. They are hoping to build off of last year's success and book a return trip to the postseason.

They were the second American League Wild Card team in 2024, winning 86 games and making it to the ALDS, where they fell short against the eventual AL champion New York Yankees.

However, despite their solid start, there are a few players that might be dragging them down. Tremayne Person of FanSided listed four players that are proving they don't belong on the roster.

Among them was outfielder MJ Melendez.

"Drafted in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft, MJ Melendez was once viewed as a cornerstone of the Kansas City Royals' next wave of talent. A homegrown power bat with a promising minor league track record, Melendez made his big-league debut in 2022 amid high expectations. Since then, he’s flashed moments of raw power — never hitting fewer than 16 home runs in a season — but the consistency just hasn’t followed," Person writes.

Person notes that strikeouts have been a problem for Melendez, as well as range in the outfield. He is a converted catcher, but hasn't quite emerged into the outfielder the Royals had hoped for him to be.

Even worse, he entered Saturday hitting just .111 on the season. It will be interesting to see if he can get going between now and the end of the month. If he can't, then the Royals might want to adjust their roster a bit.

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