Former Blue Jays pitcher re-surfaces in Kansas City

Mendez was initially signed by the Yankees out of Cuba in 2021, but he struggled to find his footing early in his career.

In 2022, he played with both the FCL Yankees (New York's rookie-level team) and the Single-A Tampa Tarpons. Between the two teams, he posted a solid 2-3 record with a 4.38 ERA and four saves in 21 appearances. He also made nine appearances in the Arizona Fall League later that year.

In 2023, Mendez joined the Blue Jays organization, where he appeared with the FCL Blue Jays, Dunedin, and Vancouver. Across the three teams, he went 2-1 with a stellar ERA under 2.00 in 22 games. However, he was released by Vancouver in 2024.

Mendez is also known for his strikeout ability, with 70 career strikeouts in 63.2 innings, resulting in a K/9 rate of just under 10.

The Kansas City Monarchs are an independent team in the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB). Although the AAPB is an MLB Partner League, its teams are not affiliated with any Major League Baseball teams.

The name "Monarchs" might sound familiar to many baseball fans because it was the name of one of the most famous teams in the Negro Leagues. The original https://monarchsbaseball.com/ were a legendary team, largely due to the presence of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.

The current Monarchs franchise was previously known as the Kansas City T-Bones before entering into a partnership with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in 2021.