Melvin Upton Jr. announced during a Tuesday appearance on MLB Network that he will be officially known as B.J. Upton moving forward, Scott Boeck of USA Today reports.

EDGE Analysis

Upton previously went by B.J., which stands for "Bossman Junior," when he began his professional career in 2002 upon being selected by Tampa Bay with the second overall pick in the first-year player draft. Since the 2015 season, however, he had gone by Melvin Upton Jr., in honor of his father's given name. He's since decided to once again pay homage to his father's nickname by reverting to B.J. as he heads into his age-34 campaign. Upton, who was out of baseball in 2018 after being released by the Indians last March, remains a free agent and will presumably have to settle for a minor-league deal if he desires to keep his playing career going.