MJ Melendez's ice-cold run is latest chapter in Royals promotion struggles

Kansas City Royals fans have been calling for some big swings at the upcoming trade deadline—and for good reason. Whether it’s the sense that this team is close, the inconsistency at the top of the lineup, or the outfield’s outright offensive ineptitude, pick your pain point.

But there’s another, often overlooked issue: the alarming rarity of internal solutions stepping up when the Royals need them most. Pitcher Noah Cameron has been the notable exception, but when it comes to position players, it’s been bleak.

Case in point: outfielder MJ Melendez.

The outfielder opened 2025 on the Royals’ 26-man roster but was unplayable due to poor production at the plate. He was demoted on April 19, and his early return to Triple-A looked like more of the same from a once-promising top prospect.

Slowly, though, Melendez started to turn things around in Omaha—peaking in July with a .333/.411/.667 line and 12 extra-base hits in 15 games. That momentum prompted optimism when he was recalled to replace utilityman Nick Loftin, who landed on the concussion list.

How quickly that sunny-side outlook has turned back to the worst-case scenario.

MJ Melendez is a symptom of a larger problem for the Royals in recent years

From defensive miscues against the Braves to going hitless in his first five games back, Melendez’s return has been a worst-case scenario. Some underlying metrics suggest he could be better than the box score shows—but Royals fans have heard that tune before.

Until he proves otherwise, Melendez looks like the same player Kansas City sent down in April. This might be a transition period, but the leash is much shorter now. He’ll have to earn any chance to reclaim the everyday role he once held. Frankly, there wouldn’t be much hope at all if he hadn’t started to figure things out in Omaha.

There’s undeniably a wide gap between Triple-A and MLB. But at some point, the Royals need one or two bats to bridge that gap—even just to reach league average. Right now, catcher Luke Maile is the only call-up with a wRC+ over 70, and his 233 mark comes in a tiny 14-plate appearance sample.

Outfielder John Rave and utilityman Nick Loftin are trending better in July, but even they sit at a modest 87 wRC+. When those numbers count as success stories from Omaha, it underscores how dire the Royals’ internal development has been this season.

It’s easy to point out a problem—finding a solution is exponentially harder. But that’s exactly why members of Kansas City’s front office are paid to do just that. Hopefully, they find answers sooner rather than later, because the inability to develop internal improvements has been a major roadblock in 2025. If that trend continues beyond this season, it simply won’t be sustainable.