It’s not an unsurprising decision since Melendez was off to a dreadful start, hitting .085 (4-for-47) with one homer and 20 strikeouts in 52 plate appearances across 16 games. The 26-year-old former top prospect boasts impressive raw power, but he simply hasn’t gotten to it consistently enough at the highest level to stick in an everyday role. It’s frustrating for fantasy managers since he made some swing changes during the offseason, but the results never came. There isn’t a place on a contending roster for a strictly platoon corner outfield that isn’t hitting. He’ll head to the minors and attempt to hit the reset button.

Melendez did hit his first homer Tuesday, but to say he’s struggled to begin the season (.343 OPS over 52 plate appearances) is quite the understatement. He’ll sit with Drew Waters hitting eighth and playing left field in his absence.

Making a rare start against an opposing southpaw, Melendez swatted a 429-foot (107.2 mph EV) solo shot off of Max Fried to open the scoring in the third inning. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the night. He’s slashing a cringe-inducing .093/.188/.186 with one homer and just one RBI on the season and should be nowhere near any fantasy lineups at the moment.

It’s been interesting to see just how little faith the Royals have in Melendez early on this season. There were plenty of corner outfielders available over the winter, but the Royals decided to hold fast with Melendez and Hunter Renfroe, only bringing in Mark Canha at the very end of the spring. It certainly hasn’t paid off; Melendez has a .351 OPS, Renfroe is at .402 and Canha is on the injured list. At least it still figures to be a relatively easy place to upgrade through a trade.