FLUSHING, NY — The New York Mets have lost 12 consecutive games, marking the longest losing streak in Queens since 2002—a season where the Amazin’ finished 75-86.
After 23 games played in 2026, with the latest on Tuesday night, a 5-3 loss to the Twins at Citi Field to drop to 7-16, the worst record in all of Major League Baseball, the Mets have not had many bright spots, especially in the batter’s box.
A .617 team-OPS, ranked 30th in MLB, isn’t cutting it.
And the same goes for 71 runs driven in as a team across the Mets’ 23 games, which is also dead-last in the sport.
Nonetheless, one bright spot at the plate for the Mets has come from Puerto Rican MJ Melendez.
The former Royal, Melendez, spending his first four career MLB seasons in Kansas City, and signing with the Mets over the offseason on a one-year/$1.5 million deal, started this year’s campaign at Triple-A Syracuse.
That changed quickly with the Mets promoting the left-handed hitting outfielder to the major league club on April 15th after Jared Young was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Since the 27-year-old’s call-up, Melendez—slashing .313/.389/.625 with an OPS of 1.014 across five games—has left the yard once for a home run while recording two RBI, two walks and two doubles which were hit off of Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani in his Mets debut.
MJ Melendez’s first two hits as a Met, a pair of doubles, were off of Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani on Jackie Robinson Day in Los Angeles – Image Credit: Francisco Rodriguez/Latino Sports
“Just trying to do everything I can to help the team win,” Melendez said in an interview with Latino Sports after the Mets finished up batting practice Tuesday.
“Coming in here, all of my teammates have made me feel great. They welcomed me with open arms.”
Melendez, one of the first few Mets to appear out of the dugout for their pregame routines early on in the afternoon, took more time than usual to get geared up with a plan that included “getting visuals.”
“I haven’t played here (Citi Field) since 2024, so just kinda seeing the park again and getting visuals. But also after an off day, just getting the body moving and getting the blood flowing.”
MJ Melendez signing autographs for fans after the Mets finished batting practice Tuesday afternoon before their series opener vs. the Twins – Image Credit: Joel Rodriguez/Latino Sports
As he completed his warm-ups, Melendez overheard fans calling for “MJ” to have him sign autographs and take photos who were stationed behind home plate, later explaining how he was once in their shoes—attending games as a kid with the hope of meeting a major leaguer.
“That was me years ago, just like that young kid that wanted to be here on the big stage,” he said. “And I always looked up to the players. Now I just want to be that same kind of role model for them.”
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