Melendez (ankle) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Thursday.
Melendez sprained his left ankle July 14 and was placed on the injured list over the All-Star break, but he's ready for game action a week and a half later. Given the brevity of his absence, Melendez may need just one rehab game before getting the green light to rejoin the Royals, perhaps as soon as this weekend's series versus the Cubs. Whenever he's activated, Melendez should settle back in as the Royals' primary left fielder against right-handed pitching.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Resumes on-field work
Rotowire
Melendez (ankle) was spotted running on the field at Kauffman Stadium prior to Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.
Ten days after spraining his left ankle, Melendez appears to be making great strides in his recovery. In addition to running the bases, Melendez has also been able to take swings in the batting cage and take part in defensive drills this week. The Royals are expected to re-evaluate Melendez on Thursday and determine whether he's fit to return from the IL during this weekend's three-game series with the Cubs, or if he'll first need to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment.
The Royals placed Melendez on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
Melendez suffered a sprained left ankle during Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Red Sox and will miss at least the Royals' first six games coming out of the All-Star break before he's eligible for activation July 26. While Melendez is sidelined, Dairon Blanco and Garrett Hampson should see action in left field.
Melendez was removed in the top of the fourth inning of Sunday's game against the Red Sox due to a left ankle sprain.
Melendez went hitless with an RBI in two at-bats on the afternoon and appeared to suffer the injury while he was running out a groundball. Though he reached base on a fielder's choice, Melendez was immediately lifted for a pinch runner. The severity of the ankle sprain isn't known, but Melendez could be sent in for an MRI over the All-Star break if the Royals fear that the injury is more than a minor concern.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Goes deep again
Rotowire
Melendez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 6-1 win over the Red Sox.
Melendez has turned the corner a bit with three homers over his last four games. The slugger is up to 11 long balls this year, though he remains at a lackluster .196/.259/.392 slash line through 83 contests. Melendez has added 28 RBI, 26 runs scored, two stolen bases, 14 doubles and two triples. Despite his struggles at the plate, he's still the Royals' primary left fielder.
Melendez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in an 8-5 win over the Cardinals in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Melendez also went 1-for-4 with a double and one RBI in a 6-4 win in the matinee. The outfielder is off to a good start in July, going 7-for-24 (.292) over his first seven contests of the month. For the season, he's posted a .191/.255/.379 slash line with 10 homers, 27 RBI, 24 runs scored, 14 doubles, two triples and two stolen bases over 278 plate appearances. Melendez's struggles at the plate have cost him some playing time versus southpaws, but he's not strictly in a platoon role.
