Merrifield (head) is starting at second base and batting second Friday against the Blue Jays.
The 35-year-old sat out the past two games after being struck in the head by a pitch Tuesday, but he's back in action for Friday's series opener versus Toronto. Merrifield has been fairly productive since latching on with Atlanta and has a .248/.359/.349 slash line with a homer and five stolen bases in 33 games.