Kansas City Royals call up MJ Melendez as road trip nears conclusion in Chicago
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals placed Nick Loftin on concussion IL after injury during Cubs series.
- MJ Melendez recalled from Triple-A Omaha after posting strong July numbers.
- Melendez seeks redemption in majors after early-season demotion in April.
The Royals made news in Chicago on Wednesday morning, calling up a familiar face who’s been raking at Triple-A Omaha.
Ahead of their afternoon series finale against the Cubs, the Royals placed infielder/outfielder Nick Loftin on the seven-day concussion injured list and summoned, in his place, outfielder MJ Melendez from the Storm Chasers.
Melendez, 26, has been red-hot in Class AAA of late, slashing .322/.406/.644 in July. Overall, he’s batted .252 for Omaha with 13 home runs since being demoted by the Royals on April 19 — when he was hitting just .085 for the big-league club.
The call-up represents another chance for Melendez to prove himself worthy of a more lengthy stay in the majors after he’d slashed a disappointing .085/.173/.170 with just four hits in 47 major-league at-bats to open the season.
“Obviously it’s a very humbling experience,” Melendez said of his most recent Triple-A stint and return to the Royals’ active roster, “and I just really was able to test myself and find myself.”
Royals manager Matt Quataro said Melendez will see regular playing time, although he was not in Wednesday’s starting lineup against the Cubs.
“We’re not going to commit to any one lineup every day,” Quatraro said, “but he’s going to play.”
Loftin played third base in Tuesday night’s loss to the Cubs. Quatraro said Loftin was kicked in the head while tagging Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was trying for a triple in the fifth inning.
“The instant impact created some headache or just soreness in his neck,” Quatraro said. “But it wasn’t until after the game, when they do the true evaluation, that the concussion symptoms come out.”
Loftin, 26, has batted .237 with one home run in 62 games for the Royals this season. He has been playing primarily in the outfield.
The Royals (49-53) opened their series in Chicago with a 12-4 win Monday before losing 6-0 to the Cubs on Tuesday night. They open a home series Friday against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Kansas City Royals call up MJ Melendez as road trip nears conclusion in Chicago."
