J.J. Picollo sees MJ Melendez heading to Omaha as 'start of a new beginning'

With the Kansas City Royals sending MJ Melendez down to Omaha on Saturday, it’s natural for most fans to wonder if this is the last time the outfielder will really be in the picture for the big league club. After all, his time in Kansas City hasn’t exactly been all that great. In fact, he’s struggled mightily when given a chance to take over a starting corner outfield spot.

However, Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo made it clear in a meeting with the press shortly after Melendez was sent down that the team doesn’t see this as an end. He hopes it will be a new beginning for the youngster. 

When asked what made this the time to send Melendez down, Picollo pointed to Mark Canha coming back being the driving factor. However he also wants to make sure that the player continues to work on some changes he made before the season to his swing and his approach.

KC Royals brass explains why MJ Melendez was the right call to send down

The Royals GM also said that with the changes Melendez made, he wanted to make sure he had the time to really implement them. In the process, he hinted that he started to see a player that was pressing at the plate. That might have worried him that changes they think will help him would be abandoned in favor of going back to what he knows best.

Picollo also pointed out that getting optioned at this stage of Melendez’s career is hardly a black mark.

“There's very few people in this world, very few players in this world that don't get optioned at some point,” the Kansas City Royals exec explained. “So it's certainly not the end of his career. We'd like to think it's the start of a new beginning, take advantage of the opportunity to go out and play in Triple-A, play well and get back here.”

The KC Royals general manager closed his remarks by saying that at the Major League level, it’s about performance and for now at least, MJ Melendez was not performing at a level that demanded he stay up with the club.

In 16 games this season, the 26-year-old outfielder was hitting just .085/.173/.170 with one home run, one RBI and a shocking -2 wRC+.