CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians say minor league catcher Andrés Meléndez died Thursday in Miami. He was 20.
The team said Meléndez died suddenly. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.
The club released a statement saying, in part:
"Andrés 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 that knew him."
The Venezuela native began his career with Milwaukee's organization in 2018. He spent two seasons between the Brewers' Dominican Summer and Arizona League teams before he was acquired in a trade by Cleveland in 2019.
Meléndez spent the 2021 season at Low-A Lynchburg, appearing in 73 games. He hit .247 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs while throwing out 33% of would-be base stealers.
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