Royals outfield outcast suffers bleakly familiar fate with Mets in fresh start attempt

As spring training winds down, teams across Major League Baseball are working to solidify their Opening Day rosters, optioning names to the minor leagues in the process.

The Kansas City Royals have made their fair share of these moves in recent weeks and while he may not be with them anymore, a familiar face found himself in this scenario as well this week.

On Tuesday, the New York Mets optioned former Royals outfielder MJ Melendez to Triple-A Syracuse, following his recently signed deal with them this winter following his departure from Kansas City in November.

Given the addition of Luis Robert Jr. to an outfield mix headlined by Juan Soto and also featuring a promising prospect in Carson Benge and defensive specialist Tyrone Taylor, it’s not a surprise that Melendez was more of an afterthought in the Mets outfield in the end – despite his surprising position change to center field.

However, while this may not be a new feeling for Melendez after multiple trips to Triple-A Omaha in 2025, this feels less and less like the fresh start he was likely hoping to get when signing with New York.

Former Royal MJ Melendez’s MLB future enters new chapter of uncertainty with Mets after Triple-A option

Now, Melendez was never guaranteed a spot on the Mets’ Opening Day roster, given the fact that he signed a split contract with them.

However, a strong 237 wRC+ showing with two homers and five RBI in 11 plate appearances across four games before departing to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, there seemed to potentially be some hope for him to maybe nab a bench spot.

But just one hitless appearance with Puerto Rico seemed to kill some of that momentum he built in Grapefruit League action.

Now, Melendez is tasked with the all too familiar task of trying to prove himself enough to warrant the call back to majors with his new club.

Last season, after a .093/.188/.186 and 5 wRC+ start to the season with the Royals, Melendez was optioned to the Storm Chasers in mid-April and didn’t return until the end-portion of July, where he wouldn’t last until August after a -52 wRC+ in just 13 plate appearances.

It’s hard to get worse than his -14 wRC+ total output with the Royals last year, so perhaps a start in Syracuse could provide him with the chance to firmly get his footing at the plate down before gracing the major leagues with his presence once again.

For now though, Melendez’s frustrating reality of bouncing back and forth between the majors and the minors, after three straight seasons as an MLB regular with Kansas City, remains.