Melvin Upton Jr. Is B.J. Upton Again

Here’s what passes as hot stove news at the moment.

As we continue to wait for Bryce Harper and Manny Machado to sign, here’s what passes as hot stove news. 

Free-agent outfielder Melvin Upton Jr., who was known as B.J. Upton during his first 10 MLB seasons, wants to go by B.J. again. 

.@MLBNetwork Melvin Upton announces he will be officially known as B.J. Upton, once again.

— Scott Boeck (@ScottBoeck) January 15, 2019

Upton’s father, Melvin Emanuel Upton Sr., goes by Manny but is nicknamed Bossman, so B.J. stands Bossman Junior. But the younger Upton decided before the 2015 season that he didn’t want to be B.J. anymore. 

“Nobody really calls me B.J., except at the stadium,” Upton told reporters, explaining that his friends mostly call him Melvin or Mel.

That year, playing alongside his brother Justin, he started going by Melvin Jr. Now he’s reversed course and decided to go by B.J. once again.

But how Upton wants to be listed on a roster going forward might not even matter. His last playing experience came played 12 games in Triple A for the Giants in 2017. He was with the Indians in spring training last year but didn’t make the cut, so B.J.’s final MLB action may have come as Melvin in 2016 with the Blue Jays.