MJ Melendez Bio
Mervyl Samuel Melendez Jr. (born November 29, 1998) is an American professional baseball left fielder and catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, the organization that drafted him out of high school in 2017. Over the course of his professional career, Melendez has worked primarily as a catcher while also seeing time in the outfield and at designated hitter.
Early Life and Background
Mervyl Samuel Melendez Jr. was born on November 29, 1998, and raised in the United States. His father, Mervyl Melendez, is a college baseball coach, which gave the younger Melendez an early and consistent connection to the sport. Growing up around a coach meant regular exposure to the rhythms of practices, games, and player development from a young age.
Melendez attended St. James School in Montgomery, Alabama for three years before transferring to Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Florida, where he finished his high school career. The move allowed him to compete against stronger baseball competition in South Florida, a region widely known for producing top-level talent. During that stretch, he was selected to the United States national team in 2016, signaling that he was viewed as one of the top amateur players in his class.
Path to Professional Baseball
Coming out of his senior year at Westminster Christian School, Melendez was a highly regarded catching prospect. He committed to play college baseball at Florida International University, a program that has produced a steady stream of professional players. Instead of enrolling, however, he went directly into professional baseball after the 2017 draft.
The Kansas City Royals selected him in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with Kansas City for $2.1 million, a sizable bonus for a second-round pick. That agreement launched his minor-league career and tied his development to the Royals’ organization from the very beginning.
MJ Melendez Career
Early Career (2017–2019)
After signing with the Royals, Melendez made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Royals, where he posted a .262 batting average with four home runs and thirty RBI over 47 games. The strong debut showed a balanced offensive profile for a young catcher. He moved up quickly the following year.
Melendez spent 2018 with the Lexington Legends of the Single-A South Atlantic League, slashing .251/.322/.492 with 19 home runs and 73 RBI in 111 games, earning All-Star honors. He then moved to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the High-A Carolina League for 2019 and was again named an All-Star, though his batting average dipped to .163 over 110 games. Across these first three professional seasons, he established himself as a power-hitting catcher with a strong throwing reputation behind the plate.
Breakthrough Seasons (2020–2021)
Melendez did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lost year, while frustrating, did not slow his long-term development once play resumed.
To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Central. He earned Double-A Central Player of the Month honors for July after batting .333 with 12 home runs during the month. After slashing .285/.372/.628 with 28 home runs and 65 RBI over 79 games, he was promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Triple-A East in early August. Over 44 games with Omaha, Melendez slashed .293/.413/.620 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI. His total of 41 home runs for the season led the minor leagues, and he became the first catcher ever to win the Joe Bauman Home Run Award.
Kansas City Royals Era (2022–2025)
On November 19, 2021, the Royals added Melendez to their 40-man roster, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. He returned to Omaha to begin the 2022 season. On May 2, 2022, he was called up to the majors, a moment delivered to him on the field by his manager. On May 17, he hit his first career home run during a game against the Chicago White Sox off of Tanner Banks. On July 4, he recorded his first career multi-homer game, launching home runs off of Jake Odorizzi and Phil Maton of the Houston Astros.
Melendez played in 23 games for Kansas City during the 2025 campaign, going 5-for-60 (.083) with one home run, one RBI, and three stolen bases. On November 21, 2025, he was non-tendered by the Royals and became a free agent.
Driving Style and Strengths
At the plate, Melendez has consistently been billed as a power-first catcher whose best offensive contributions come from extra-base damage rather than pure contact. Behind the plate, he has been valued for his catch-and-throw skills, while his athleticism has allowed him to be used in the outfield and at designated hitter at the major-league level.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his career milestones, Melendez became the first catcher in history to win the Joe Bauman Home Run Award after leading the minor leagues with 41 home runs in 2021. He also reached the majors in May 2022, hit his first big-league home run two weeks later, and launched his first multi-homer game in early July 2022 against the Houston Astros.
MJ Melendez Career Wins
Across his minor-league career with the Royals organization, Melendez compiled a power-hitting resume that featured two All-Star selections and a minor-league-leading 41 home runs in 2021. He signed for $2.1 million out of the 2017 draft and steadily climbed from Rookie ball through Triple-A before reaching Kansas City.
Minor-League Highlights
Melendez’s biggest minor-league season came in 2021, when he split the year between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha and combined for 41 home runs, earning the Joe Bauman Home Run Award as the first catcher to win it. He previously earned All-Star honors with Lexington in 2018 and Wilmington in 2019, marking him as a top prospect at each level.
Other Performances
In his first taste of major-league action, Melendez made an immediate impact with his first home run on May 17, 2022, and followed it with a multi-homer game on July 4, 2022. He later appeared in 23 games for Kansas City during the 2025 season before becoming a free agent.
MJ Melendez Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Melendez comes from a baseball family, as his father, Mervyl Melendez, is a college baseball coach. That background gave the younger Melendez an early and ongoing connection to the sport, and helped shape his path toward a professional career.
Personal Life
In 2022, Melendez was among ten Royals players unable to travel to Canada to play the Toronto Blue Jays due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19, as public health policies of the Canadian government at the time prohibited unvaccinated non-citizens from entering the country. Beyond that publicly reported detail, additional verified personal-life information is limited.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a difficult one for Melendez at the major-league level. He appeared in 23 games for the Kansas City Royals, going 5-for-60 with a .083 batting average, one home run, one RBI, and three stolen bases. The limited production led to a reduced role with the big-league club.
On November 21, 2025, the Royals non-tendered him, making him a free agent. The decision opened a new chapter in his career, giving him the opportunity to sign with any team in MLB. As a free agent, Melendez is expected to draw interest from clubs looking to add a left-handed-hitting catcher-outfielder with prior major-league experience and a strong minor-league power track record.