BY MATT PIKE
St Joseph Post
When shortstop Bobby Witt Jr and first baseman Nick Pratto got the call to be promoted, many wondered why catcher MJ Melendez was not joining them for the trip.
With three other catchers on the roster in Sebastian Rivero, Nick Dini and Meibrys Viloria, it simply came down to finding playing time for the young backstop.
But in a way, Melendez forced the Royals hand in getting him one step closer to the big leagues. Melendez, much like Witt and Pratto, was dominating the stage in Double A with Northwest Arkansas.
Melendez, a second round selection in 2017, was hitting .285/.372/.628 leading all Double A players in home runs (28), RBIs (65), slugging percantage, OPS (.999), extra base hits (46) and total bases (187).
Melendez's 28 home runs were only trailing one other player, Miami prospect Griffin Conine, who has 29 home runs (23 in Advanced A and 6 since being promoted to Double A).
Melendez will now join Witt and Pratto with the top ranked team in the Triple A East- Midwest Division in Omaha. The Stormchasers currently hold a 1.5 game lead over Toledo, Detroit's Triple A affiliate, with a 47-35 record.
With three other catchers still on the roster it is unknown if Melendez will slot right into the starting lineup, but if he does look for him to make his Triple A debut on Tuesday, when Omaha begins a six game series against the Iowa Cubs.