KC Royals Call up No. 2 Prospect Catcher MJ Melendez
Following the conclusion of their Sunday game and overall series against the New York Yankees, the Kansas City Royals have gotten busy making roster moves. Per the club, catcher Cam Gallagher has been placed on the 10-day Injured List with a left hamstring strain. In a corresponding move, prospect MJ Melendez is being recalled from Triple-A Omaha.
Gallagher, who has served as Salvador Perez's backup this season, suffered the injury in the third inning of Sunday's loss to the Yankees. In seven games this year, the righty is slashing .267/.313/.400 with a 110 wRC+. He's been very productive in a limited sample size for Kansas City this year, but now he'll spend at least the next 10 days on the shelf as he recovers from injury.
Melendez, the No. 2 prospect in the Royals organization, is set to potentially make his big-league debut as soon as Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 23-year-old catcher has gotten off to a bit of a slow start with the Storm Chasers this year, hitting just .152 with a pair of home runs in 19 games. With that said, he's walked at a 13.3% clip and has maintained a manageable strikeout rate of 24.1%. He was pulled from Sunday's lineup once the MLB club decided to promote him.
Last season, Melendez had one of the best minor league seasons of any prospect in baseball. In 79 games with Double-A, he slashed .285/.372/.628. His production was even better in 44 games at Omaha, as he slashed .293/.413/.620 with a video game-like 170 wRC+. Melendez projects as a plus defender and a hitter who can draw walks and slug for power. The former second-round pick led all of Minor League Baseball in home runs last year with 41.
Jordan Foote is the editor-in-chief of Inside the Royals, as well as the deputy editor of Arrowhead Report and a producer for Kansas City Sports Network. Jordan is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media with a minor in Sports Administration. Follow him on Twitter @footenoted.