MJ Melendez wasted no time making his point after getting sent back to Triple-A.
In six games for the Syracuse Mets, the outfielder/DH went 6-for-21 with four home runs, three walks and six strikeouts, putting together a .286/.375/.857 week. That surge pushed his Triple-A line from .216/.286/.431 to .236/.313/.556, with his batting average climbing .20 points, his on-base percentage rising about .30 points and his slugging percentage jumping roughly .120 points.
Melendez had been optioned down after Tyrone Taylor came off the Injured List following a month-long absence with a right hip flexor strain. Since then, Melendez has made a strong statistical argument that the move was the wrong one. He has posted a 92 wRC+ in limited at-bats, while Taylor has sat at 61 in a similar sample.
That said, Taylor still brings something Melendez does not: defensive value and more bench flexibility. The source also notes that Taylor appears to have the favor of GM David Stearns, who had him with the Milwaukee Brewers when Stearns was GM there and later traded for him in one of his first moves as Mets President of Baseball Operations.
The bigger picture, though, is that the Mets may not need either player to soak up many at-bats in Queens. With Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing establishing themselves, Juan Soto being Juan Soto, and Luis Robert Jr. working his way back from injury, the club has enough outfield depth to keep the playing time tight.
On the mound, Daviel Hurtado took Pitcher of the Week honors after another dominant stretch for Brooklyn.
He worked two games, including one start, and threw 8.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out eight. His 2026 season line now sits at 4 games, 3 starts, 9.0 innings, 10 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned runs, a 5.00 ERA, 1 walk and 15 strikeouts in Single-A, plus 8 games, 7 starts, 36.1 innings, 15 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, a 1.49 ERA, 5 walks and 35 strikeouts in High-A.
Hurtado’s week nearly ended in a tie for the award. Jack Wenninger also posted a Game Score of 77 after seven scoreless innings against the Worcester Red Sox, allowing one hit, three walks and five strikeouts.
Hurtado matched that with six scoreless innings against the Frederick Keyes, giving up one hit, one walk and eight strikeouts. If the week had ended there, it would have been the first time in almost a calendar year that two pitchers shared the honor.
The last time that happened was when Wellington Aracena and Brandon Sproat won in Week Fourteen last year, between June 24th and June 29th.
Hurtado then separated himself on Sunday by coming out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth and adding two more scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and struck out three more before the game was suspended in the eighth because of rain.
The game did not finish, but the award still goes to Hurtado. He is now the first pitcher this season to win Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks, and the fourth pitcher in 2026 to win it twice, joining Channing Austin, Jose Chirinos and Jonathan Santucci.
Since joining the Cyclones, the Cuban left-hander has logged 18.2 innings at home at Maimonides Park and 17.2 innings across three road parks: ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood, Frawley Stadium in Wilmington and Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick. At home, he has allowed one run for a 0.48 ERA, with 7 hits, 3 walks and 14 strikeouts. On the road, he has given up five runs for a 2.55 ERA, with 9 hits, 2 walks and 21 strikeouts.
Even with the strong results, the source raises real questions about how far Hurtado can go as a prospect. His four-seam fastball does not have great shape and, in that view, should be replaced by his sinker.
The best results have come from his slider and curveball, though neither is considered above-average at this point. The issue is that both pitches are succeeding more because of sheer movement than truly sharp, late movement.
That can work in the lower minors, but advanced hitters can adjust once they get a read on pitches that sweep or tumble in predictable ways.
There is still a chance Hurtado ends up near the back of the 2027 Mets Top 25 Prospect list because the system is so thin right now, but the expectation here is that he will need to tighten up his repertoire to keep succeeding in Double-A and beyond.
In Other News...
Why Would The Mets Even Consider This NL East Trade Rumor
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The wrinkle here is the business side as much as the injury. With a $12 million player option after the season in the mix, the Mets have to weigh whether holding on makes sense if the return could be limited, especially in a division where every edge matters. Nothing has been confirmed, but the rumor underscores how quickly a contender can be pushed to think about value, risk and what happens if it waits too long. [Read more 🡒]
One Forgotten Mets Deadline Move Looks Worse With The Dodgers
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Paul Gervase has given the Dodgers a bullpen option they can keep leaning on, even if the results have come with the usual rookie volatility. He has shown enough swing-and-miss to matter, but also enough control trouble to keep the story from feeling finished, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes a modest deadline deal look different in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Fans May Finally Embrace This Tyrone Taylor Trade Idea
If the Mets do decide Tyrone Taylor is movable, the return may not need to be flashy to make sense. Seattle has been sorting through its own outfield picture, and that kind of roster crunch can create openings for a deal built around depth and upside rather than a headline name. For New York, the appeal is obvious: Taylor is the sort of piece a contender can part with if it helps address another part of the roster, especially when the front office is looking for ways to keep the margins working in its favor.
The more interesting part is whether the Mets would use that kind of swap to bring in a pitcher who is close enough to matter soon, but still has some development left in the tank. With A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley no longer in the mix, there is at least a path for a left-handed arm to get a look, and Seattles system has one that has been moving through the upper levels with strong strikeout numbers and steady run prevention. The wrinkle is timing, because a pitcher in that spot can be useful to a club now, while also carrying enough roster pressure that the other side has to decide whether to hold on or make a move before the offseason changes the calculus. [Read more 🡒]