Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez and shortstop Paul DeJong are starting Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers on the bench. Both players have been swinging hot bats recently, with Melendez slashing .278/.316/.500 and DeJong slashing .375/.423/.750 in their last seven games. This speaks to the strength and depth of the Royals lineup, as Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez are starting in their places. Still, both or either player could find their way into the game as pinch hitters late.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) was activated off the 10-day IL on Sunday and will bat in the six-hole as the Royals play the rubber match of a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs. In a corresponding move, the Royals optioned outfielder Drew Waters to Triple-A Omaha. The 25-year-old hit the IL on July 16 due to a sprained ankle and did not need too much time to recover. Melendez sits with a .195/.260/.392 line with 11 home runs and two stolen bases through 85 games this season. He could be worth a look in DFS this afternoon as he will face Chicago right-hander Javier Assad, who has posted a hefty 6.40 ERA and 2.40 WHIP in his past three starts.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday night with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Melendez is getting closer to a return to the Royals lineup after spraining his ankle on July 14. If the 25-year-old can avoid a setback with his ankle at Northwest Arkansas, there's a chance he could be back for the weekend series against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Before getting hurt just before the All-Star break, Melendez was serving as Kansas City's starting left fielder. The former second-round selection in 2017 is hitting just .196 (52-for-265) on the year with 11 home runs, 29 RBI and 26 runs scored in 85 games, making him useful as outfield depth in AL-only leagues for his power.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) is recovering in Kansas City and has already started hitting in the cages and doing some defensive drills on the field. Melendez's timeline to return from a sprained left ankle could be 10 days to two weeks, putting him in line to rejoin the Royals by either the end of July or early August. Whether or not a minor-league rehab assignment is required will be determined later this week after seeing how the 25-year-old former top prospect progresses. Veteran utility man Adam Frazier has taken on an everyday role as in left field as KC's primary leadoff man in Melendez's absence, but his fantasy appeal remains minimal while batting 35-for-175 (.200) with three home runs, 13 RBI, 20 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 65 games.

The Kansas City Royals placed outfielder MJ Melendez (ankle) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 15) with a left-ankle sprain on Tuesday. The move to the IL comes after Melendez sprained his ankle in Sunday's contest against the Boston Red Sox. At the very least, the 25-year-old will miss the first six games of the second half of the season. He'll be eligible to return to the Royals on July 26. Melendez, a left-handed hitter, does have 11 home runs in 85 games this year and is on track to set a new career-high in that category, but he's also hitting just .192 (51-for-265) and lacks speed (two steals). For however long he's out, both Dairon Blanco and Garrett Hampson could see more playing time in Kansas City in left field. Melendez has hit .273 (9-for-33) with three homers in 10 games in July.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, including going deep for the 11th time in Friday's 6-1 win over the Red Sox. It has been a disappointing season for the 25-year-old, slashing just .196/.259/.392 so far, but in July he has shown signs of life. This month the left-handed hitter has gone 9-for-28 (.321) and has homered in three of his last four games. If he can keep it up he'd surely be an attractive fantasy asset, and he offers fantasy managers the rare C/OF position eligibility combination despite not logging a start at catcher yet this season.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez turned in a big performance in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. Melendez went 2-for-4 with a grand slam to power the Royals to the win over LA. The veteran blew open the game in the seventh inning when he deposited a ball over the wall in right field to clear the bases and put KC up 5-2. Melendez worked a 12-pitch at-bat before ripping his first career grand slam, a shot that traveled 395 feet and had an exit velocity of 103.2 MPH. It has been a rough go for the veteran this season as he is now hitting .168 with eight homers, 19 runs, 23 RBI, and two steals across 196 at-bats in 2024. Hopefully the big night on Saturday will get his season turned around.

Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run in Thursday's loss against the division rival Minnesota Twins. Melendez crushed a first-pitch fastball 416 feet off Caleb Thielber in the top of the fourth inning to extend the Royals lead to 4-0 at the time, but it would not be enough. With his homer, Melendez picked up his first RBI on the road in 2024. The 25-year-old entered the season with high hopes, but has struggling through the first third of the season with a .176 batting average to go along with five home runs, 13 RBI and two stolen bases. Having catcher eligibility on most platforms helps Melendez, but his overall struggles make him replaceable for a hot bat on the waiver wire this far into the season.

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.