3 KC Royals who are no longer worth defending

If the Kansas City Royals clubhouse believes they should be performing better, they should seek feedback from a fan on the street. Kansas City fans have desperately craved competitive baseball since winning that coveted World Series championship back in 2015. But some inept drafting and failed investments have kept winning out of Kauffman Stadium. Now, after reaching the ALDS last season, there are playoff expectations once again among the Royals faithful. But if fans want winning to become the expectation once again, it's difficult to root for these three players.

MJ Melendez, OF

There may be no position player that Royals fans dislike more right now than outfielder MJ Melendez. The former catcher has had the exact wrong career trajectory for any professional, sports or not. In his debut season in 2022, he showed signs of optimism with a career-high 18 home runs and 0.5 bWAR. Fans voiced their opinions but suffered through the growing pains of him moving from catcher to the outfield and all the defensive miscues, thanks to some advancements at the plate.

But 2024 was more of the same struggles yet more playing time. The fanbase agreed on few things this offseason, but the near-consensus hope was that Melendez was not a starting outfielder on Opening Day for Kansas City. He was that in 2025, and then some. The experiment, in its current form, has to end now.

Sure, he made notable changes to his swing this offseason. The numbers prove it. But the numbers also prove that those changes haven't improved the results. The lefty's slash line is by far the worst in Kansas City, sitting at .085/.173/.170 as of Apr. 16. That is saying something considering Kansas City's run-scoring woes to start the 2025 season. He did give fans a glimmer of hope with his first home run and RBI in Yankee Stadium, but the -1 wRC+ is a stark shock back to reality for any fan.

What else can be said that hasn't already been said? A demotion to Omaha feels like the more merciful move at this point. Let the lefty again find some of that mojo that saw him swat 41 home runs those years ago. Put him in Werner Park where the outfield has to be easier to navigate than Kauffman Stadium's vast greenery. Melendez has had this reputation for a while now, where fans genuinely want to see him do well and be a smiling fixture alongside Witt.

When he has those shining moments, the hot stretches, or the highlight plays, they are boastfully celebrated. Fans want to see that from Melendez. Give him the time and space to prove himself again on the field, and fans will be quick to call for his return. But that requires Melendez righting the ship and forcing his way back into the major league picture.

Hunter Renfroe, OF

Imagine watching a terrible movie that cost a little bit of money. Not too much, but it was a movie that hopefully would have lived up to the hype and provided some entertainment. It hasn't. It is awful. It isn't a movie for the select few, rather a movie that brings little entertainment value to the picture. What is there to do? There are two options: keep watching the movie simply because it cost money, or stop watching as soon as the negative value is realized and move on to something else? For those who choose to continue watching the movie, they have fallen prey to the sunk cost fallacy.

The sunk cost fallacy is our tendency to continue with an endeavor that people have invested money, effort, or time into—even if the current costs outweigh the benefits. In a logical world, sunk costs aren’t relevant to our future decisions. That’s because our decisions should be based purely on estimated future costs and business goals, not old investments that can’t be reversed. That is a crude but accurate description of outfielder Hunter Renfroe's tenure with the Royals.

The hope was he would continue his extra-base hits and home run stretch that has spanned most of his career. That abruptly ended in 2024. The hope was he would return to the form that won him a Gold Glove in 2019 and 2021. The expanse of Kauffman Stadium proved that it was easier said than done. Thanks to his player option, Renfroe stayed on the Royals roster and was Kansas City's Opening Day right fielder. That served as the veteran's peak performance for the season.

Renfroe's salary could be a tougher one for the Royals ownership to swallow, but what do they have to lose? The metrics say he has been a negative presence both at the plate and in the field for Kansas City. His -0.7 fWAR could certainly be replicated or improved upon by another outfielder waiting in Omaha or available on the trade market.

Sure, he has some highlights. Sure, he hits bombs in batting practice. But across an entire season, there is little reason fans should be blindly cheering for Renfroe's Royals tenure to continue.

Sam Long, LHP

It felt like something out of a movie or TV show. A player, a soft-tossing southpaw from Sacramento State, lands in professional baseball as an 18th-round pick. That first stretch is short-lived, and the baseball dream is shelved for another. But, through hard work and a chance, he makes it back and even reaches the majors. But the pitcher bounces around the league, with good stretches but overall not finding consistent success or a long leash in the majors. That same pitcher gets another shot, a fresh start, and forces his way into the Royals' bullpen picture. Sam Long's story is one that fans shouldn't forget, but he may be starting a new chapter soon.

Long had odds-defying staying power in Kansas City. Before the Opening Day roster was released, he was the only player on the 40-man roster who came to Kansas City as a minor-league free agent. He earned that distinction.

He earned the benefit of any doubt cast by a so-so showing in spring training. He even earned it despite giving up two runs and taking the loss on Opening Day. But that benefit, that trust, eroded like a sandcastle on the shore with each crashing wave, each shaky showing, each trip out of that bullpen. It was ultimately a relief to some Royals fans that he landed on the 15-day IL when he did, no matter how scary throwing elbow inflammation can be for a pitcher.

As Long rests and isn't throwing at all right now, his 12.86 ERA is gaudy, a 7.17 FIP far outpaces his career average, and his -0.3 fWAR already negates the 0.2 fWAR he posted across 42 2/3 innings for Kansas City last year. All the harm done in seven games undid all the good Long did across 43 appearances last year.

Long was a wonderful feel-good story. It is okay to leave his contributions in a Royals uniform to 2024 and forget about the 2025 version. There were some expectations for him this season that were built upon his performance last year while ignoring his overall career performance. Was that fair? In retrospect, the answer is probably no. He has already overcome adversity by returning to baseball after nearly moving on from it. If the injury isn't debilitating, if Long isn't settling in Kansas City, or if it's just a temporary setback, there are 29 other clubs where he can start over. But, just as unceremoniously as he joined the Royals, Long could be on his way out sooner rather than later.