Royals' MJ Melendez: Sitting out Game 2 versus lefty
Rotowire
Melendez is absent from the lineup Monday in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
It's southpaw Carlos Rodon on the hill for the Yankees, so the left-handed-hitting Melendez will begin the festivities on the bench. Tommy Pham will be in left field and batting seventh for the Royals, while Hunter Renfroe will handle right and hit eighth.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Out again versus lefty
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Melendez is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in Atlanta.
The Royals are facing a left-hander -- Max Fried -- for the fifth game in a row, and the left-handed-hitting Melendez has been on the bench for four of them. Tommy Pham is in left field and batting leadoff.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Sitting versus lefty
Rotowire
Melendez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Nationals.
It's left-hander Patrick Corbin on the bump for the Nationals, so the lefty-swinging Melendez will begin the game on the bench. Tommy Pham is playing left field and batting leadoff for the Royals.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Not in lineup against lefty
Rotowire
Melendez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Nationals.
The left-handed hitting Melendez will yield to Tommy Pham in left field as southpaw Mitchell Parker toes the rubber for the Nationals. Melendez has been out of the lineup all four times the Royals have faced a lefty this month.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Sitting versus southpaw
Rotowire
Melendez is not in the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Giants.
With left-hander Blake Snell toeing the rubber for the Giants, the lefty-swinging Melendez will begin the festivities on the bench. Tommy Pham will occupy left field for the Royals.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Getting night off
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
The lefty-hitting Melendez will unsurprisingly take a seat in the series finale while the Tigers send ace southpaw Tarik Skubal to the bump. Tommy Pham will fill in for Melendez in left field.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Melendez is sitting Sunday for the second time in three games despite the fact right-hander Jared Jones is starting for Pittsburgh. Tommy Pham will shift to left field while Adam Frazier receives a start in right.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Idle against RHP
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Pirates.
Even with right-hander Luis Ortiz taking the mound for Pittsburgh, the lefty-hitting Melendez will retreat to the bench. It'll be Melendez's first time out of the lineup against a right-handed starter since Aug. 4. Tommy Pham, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe fill the outfield from left to right.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Notches steal in win
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 5-0 win over the Twins.
Melendez has started to slump again, going 4-for-27 (.148) over his last nine games. He has just one extra-base hit as well as a 4:7 BB:K in that span. The outfielder hit .311 in August, but if his bat stays cold, he could face extra pressure for playing time from Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman, the two players the Royals added via waivers at the end of August. Melendez is at a .212/.272/.416 slash line with 17 home runs, four steals, 43 RBI and 42 runs scored over 404 plate appearances while mostly serving as a strong-side platoon option in the corner outfield.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros.
With lefty Framber Valdez on the mound for Houston, Melendez will yield to Dairon Blanco in left field. Melendez is 7-for-22 (.318) with a pair of homers in his last six games.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Productive in doubleheader
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Melendez went 4-for-9 with a three-run home run across both games of Monday's doubleheader sweep over the Guardians.
Melendez's three-run blast came in the matinee, accounting for three of the Royals' four runs in that win. He wasn't directly involved in run production in the nightcap, but he logged his first three-hit game since July 12 in that contest. Melendez is batting .339 (20-for-59) over 20 games in August, lifting his slash line up to .216/.274/.433 with 17 homers, 43 RBI, 38 runs scored and three stolen bases over 109 contests. He needs two more homers to establish a career high.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Smacks homer in loss
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday's 11-3 loss to the Phillies.
Melendez has gone 13-for-41 (.317) with three homers and three doubles over his last 14 games. It's one of his most successful stretches of the campaign, as he has found more consistency at the plate as a platoon player. The outfielder has matched his homer total from last year (16) while adding 40 RBI, 37 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples, three stolen bases and a .210/.269/.423 slash line through 107 contests.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Angels.
As per usual, Melendez will head to the bench against a left-handed pitcher (Tyler Anderson). Dairon Blanco, Garrett Hampson and Hunter Renfroe fill the outfield from left to right.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Pops homer in loss Tuesday
Rotowire
Melendez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 13-3 loss to the Twins.
Melendez has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with two homers, one stolen base and six RBI over eight contests in August. His improved numbers may be a result of him being more strictly platooned to avoid left-handed pitchers. The power-hitting outfielder is up to 14 homers, 37 RBI, 34 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .205/.267/.410 slash line through 333 plate appearances this season.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Registers third steal
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 8-3 win over the Cardinals.
Melendez posted his second multi-hit effort in a row Saturday. The outfielder swiped a bag after his first single of the game, but he wasn't able to repeat the feat later, getting caught on his second steal attempt. He's not a particularly speedy player with just three steals on six attempts this season. Melendez has added a .203/.267/.400 slash line with 13 home runs, 36 RBI and 32 runs scored over 95 contests. He's been getting platooned in left field lately, with Dairon Blanco and Garrett Hampson combining to cover the position versus southpaws.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Idle against lefty
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Boston.
With the Royals facing a left-hander (James Paxton) for a second consecutive day, Melendez will take a seat on the bench once again Monday. Garrett Hampson, Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe will fill out the Kansas City outfield from left to right.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Out of lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Melendez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Melendez will take a seat for the series finale since lefty Brant Hurter is scheduled to work as Detroit's primary pitcher. Dairon Blanco is starting in left field and batting ninth Sunday.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Melendez is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Detroit.
Melendez didn't start Thursday against a right-hander and will now begin Friday's contest on the bench as the Tigers send southpaw Tarik Skubal to the hill. Dairon Blanco will patrol left field.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Resting Thursday
Rotowire
Melendez isn't in the Royals' lineup for Thursday's game versus Detroit.
Melendez has gone 2-for-18 with two RBI in four games since returning from the injured list, and he'll get a chance to regroup Thursday while Garrett Hampson starts in left field.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Cleared for rehab assignment
Rotowire
Melendez (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Thursday.
Melendez sprained his left ankle July 14 and was placed on the injured list over the All-Star break, but he's ready for game action a week and a half later. Given the brevity of his absence, Melendez may need just one rehab game before getting the green light to rejoin the Royals, perhaps as soon as this weekend's series versus the Cubs. Whenever he's activated, Melendez should settle back in as the Royals' primary left fielder against right-handed pitching.
