KANSAS CITY, MO. (Aug. 9, 2021) – Kansas City Royals prospect MJ Melendez has been promoted to Triple-A Omaha, the club announced today. The 22-year-old catcher currently ranks second among all minor league players with 28 home runs this season, spending the first part of the year with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Melendez was Kansas City’s second-round selection in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Westminster Christian School in Miami, Florida. He’s hitting .285/.372/.628 (85-for-298) and leads all Double-A players in homers, RBI (65), slugging percentage, OPS (.999), extra-base hits (46) and total bases (187). His 28 homers are one behind Miami Marlins’ prospect Griffin Conine (29) for the Minor League lead. Melendez was named Double-A Central Player of the Month for July, batting .333 (36-for-108), with eight doubles, 12 homers and 29 RBI, recording 11 multi-hit games and did not go more than three games without a home run during the month.