MJ

Melendez

Robert, 28, has not had much success at the plate as of late, and his OPS has dropped to .656 with a .224 average. He’ll get a day off with Carson Benge moving to center field and MJ Melendez getting the start in left.

Up from Triple-A, Melendez wasted no time making his presence known with his new club. He doubled in each of his first two at-bats accounting for the only two hits and only run Shohei Ohtani would allow in this game. The Mets offense has been a catastrophe so far this season and Juan Soto is still on the injured list, so any level of production could keep Melendez in the lineup for the near future.

Polanco will get a breather as he continues to play through a lingering Achilles issue. The 32-year-old veteran infielder has gotten off to a frosty start at the dish, hitting .179 (10-for-56) with one homer and two RBI through 14 games in his Mets debut. MJ Melendez gets a turn at DH in his first game of the season as New York attempts to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Melendez gets the call to join New York’s outfield mix prior to Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers with Jacob Young hitting the injured list with a meniscus tear in his left knee. The 27-year-old has posted a pedestrian .685 OPS with 52 homers in 435 games at the highest level with the Royals since 2022.

Melendez actually made things interesting this spring, going 4-for-11 with two home runs and five RBI, but the sample size was simply too small. The 27-year-old will get a chance to build on that in the minors and push for playing time at some point later this season.

Power isn’t the issue for Melendez, who was let go by the Royals after hitting .215/.297/.388 in parts of four seasons. He has a chance of making the Mets if Carson Benge opens up in Triple-A, but most likely, Melendez himself is going to have to go succeed in Triple-A for a spell before getting an opportunity.

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

The deal which was agreed to over the weekend is official now that the 27-year-old slugger has passed his physical. The former top prospect is an intriguing addition to the Mets’ bench and could wind up carving out some fantasy value in deeper leagues if he’s able to find his way into regular playing time.

The 27-year-old slugger will also have the ability to make up to an extra $500,000 in incentives. The former top prospect has slashed a miserable .215/.297/.388 with 52 homers, 163 RBI and a 437/166 K/BB ratio over 1,652 plate appearances to begin his big league career. He’ll add some left-handed thump off of the Mets’ bench.

Melendez was one of the top hitting prospects in baseball and showed flashes of brilliance in his first couple seasons with Kansas City, but to say things fell over the last couple campaigns is quite the understatement. He’ll likely get a chance with a new org, but on a “prove it” type of deal. Clarke will also likely be org depth for a new org in 2026.