Guardians prospect Meléndez dies at 20

CLEVELAND -- Guardians catching prospect Andrés Meléndez died suddenly on Thursday afternoon in Miami, the team announced. He was 20 years old. No details were released on the cause of his death.

Meléndez was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and began his professional career in 2018, with the Brewers. He was acquired by Cleveland in a November '19 trade with Milwaukee. In 2021, he played 73 games for Low-A Lynchburg.

In two years with the Guardians' organization, Meléndez quickly made an impact on his teammates, both in Lynchburg and the Arizona Rookie League.

The Guardians released the following statement:

“Meléndez is remembered by his teammates and friends as a positive, respectful and thoughtful young man with a beautiful smile who had a profound impact on others. He will be greatly missed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones, teammates and those who knew him.”