On opening day, the Kansas City Royals had a new mental health MVP in the dugout | Opinion

Spring is here, baseball is back and it’s opening day at The K. The Kansas City Royals took the field Thursday at Kauffman Stadium — with Major League Baseball’s first on-field therapist inside the dugout.

Melissa Lambert, the Royals’ director of behavioral science, is the also first woman in team history to join the on-field staff. As director of behavioral science, Lambert’s role is historic.

Big league ball players having real-time access to the team’s psychologist is invaluable. Good move by the Royals.

Owner John Sherman, manager Matt Quatraro and general manager J.J. Picollo deserve credit for ushering in a new regime with increased mental health resources for players and staff.

Lambert, a former college soccer player, once worked for the Dodgers as a mental skills coach, according to mlb.com.

A licensed professional counselor, Lambert has a background as a therapist, and has been heavily involved in youth sports as a coach and a consultant on child development and performance psychology.

Moreover, she is certified in therapeutic crisis intervention.

In 2020, the Royals’ senior director of behavioral science Ryan Maid hired Lambert as the assistant director of behavioral science. She has since worked with a core of minor league players who are with the team on opening day.

“Melissa has the training, background, experiences to meet players where they’re at based on their needs and wants,” Maid told MLB.com. “When our players need services, whether that be on or off the field, she can provide that. There’s not a lot of people in baseball who can do that.”

Baseball players aren’t immune to mental health issues any more than the rest of us. More than 50% of people will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder over the course of their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In any given year, 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental health crisis, according to the CDC.

In pro baseball, the stakes are high and the pressure is extreme. The stressors for athletes must be mitigated, Lambert told MLB.com.

“Let’s make sure we’re proactive, prepared to manage it and support our guys,” she said.

Locally, both the Kansas City Chiefs and Sporting Kansas City see the value in mental health.

Becky Wiseman is Sporting’s full-time mental performance coach, team officials told us. She is a member of the team’s technical staff and works with athletes for Sporting and its affiliate Sporting II and Academy teams.

The Super Bowl-winning Chiefs employ a team clinician who is with the team at all times, officials said.

The Royals’ effort to increase mental health resources for players and staff should be applauded — and copied — by pro franchises in every sport all over the country.

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