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Kansas City has optioned outfielder MJ Melendez to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced Saturday morning. In a corresponding move, outfielder/first-baseman Mark Canha was reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
Melendez had been off to an atrocious start to the 2025 season, slashing .085/.173/.170 across 52 plate appearances. Melendez only had four hits in that span, a pair of singles, a double and a solo home run against the Yankees last week.
Canha comes back after making quick work of a left abductor strain that sidelined him back on April 9. The late-Spring addition was off to a soaring start before that, posting a .471 on-base percentage across 17 plate appearances in 2025.
Canha spent the minimum required time on the injured list and also spent three rehab games with Omaha, reaching base in 5 of his 13 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers.
Melendez has struggled with the swing and miss this season. Baseball Savant has him ranked in the first percentile of players with Whiff%, with him checking in at 42.7 percent. His strikeout numbers are also equally concerning, with him striking out in 38.5 percent of at-bats this season.
Royals GM J.J. Picollo spoke this morning to the media about Melendez's struggles, saying, "Those things take a little bit of time, it's not something you can fix overnight," Picollo said. "We're just going to be very encouraging to him because we think he's doing the right things, working on the right things, and now just go down and take a little bit of pressure off of him and do it at a different level."
JJ Picollo on MJ Melendez option: “It’s certainly not the end of his career. We would like to think it’s the start of a new beginning. Take advantage of the opportunity to play in triple-A. Play well and get back here.” pic.twitter.com/YbpguXEHV9
— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) April 19, 2025
This move is similar to what Kansas City did to Mike Moustakas after he got off to a troubled start in 2014. Although his visit to Omaha only lasted just over a week, he still came back to the Royals with a more balanced approach at the plate and helped to take Kansas City all the way to the World Series that October.
It will be interesting to see how long Melendez's stint in Omaha lasts. The Royals outfielders have struggled mightily to begin the season, so don't be surprised if we see MJ back in the coming weeks and a different outfielder sent up I-29.
More must-reads:
- Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reaches yet another incredible milestone
- Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony
- The 'MLB playoff home run leaders' quiz
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Angel Stadium experiences embarrassing issue after game
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Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
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George Kittle delivered powerful comment about new Packers WR that sheds light on what Green Bay saw in the player
The Green Bay Packers are not done adding wide receivers. The team drafted Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, signed Will Sheppard, but also added another rookie—Isaiah Neyor, a big-bodied, undrafted receiver who had signed with the San Francisco 49ers right after the draft. Neyor spent three months in San Francisco and had a quiet training camp, which led to the team's decision to waive him, but it was enough time to catch the attention of star tight end George Kittle. Going back to June, in an interview with Bussin' with the Boys, Kittle talked about Neyor. "He's a good kid. I like him. He's a freak. He is really tall, and I watched him running a route, he got like nine and a half yards in two strides," Kittle mentioned. "It was insane. We watched it like ten times in the tight end room. We were like, how is he doing this? It's funny." The rookie has an insane athletic profile. He's 6-4, 218 pounds, and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. With a 9.97 incomplete Relative Athletic Score, he had elite size, explosion, and speed grades—but no agility testing information. "If you're that tall, just make plays and do well on special teams. Right?," Kittle added. "At the bare minimum, you should make the practice squad." Positional battle With two weeks of training camp gone, Isaiah Neyor will have a hard time to make the 53-man roster. The Packers have Golden, Williams, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks as locks. Veterans Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath are also ahead of the rookies. Even players like Cornelius Johnson and Julian Hicks, who spent last season on the practice squad, have a natural advantage. Christian Watson is expected to start the season on PUP, so he won't count against the 53-man for at least four weeks. However, both undrafted rookies (Neyor and Sheppard) have a real shot at making at least the practice squad. In Neyor's case, the 49ers expected him to be around—so much that they guaranteed him $259,000 as an undrafted free agent signing. But with injuries all over the wide receiver room, the Niners needed spots for veteran guys—they have players like Robbie Chosen, Russell Gage, and former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown on the 90-man roster. As a consequence, they lacked space for developmental pieces. With two drafted rookies in Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen, Neyor became an afterthought. On the Packers, though, the rookie will have another chance to prove that George Kittle was right.
Red Sox committing to ex-top prospect outfielder with extension
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