MLB Player News
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Whit Merrifield 2B | ATL
Braves' Whit Merrifield: Knocks five hits
Merrifield went 5-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Twins.
Merrifield scored in each of the first two innings during his perfect day at the dish. The veteran utility man has fit right in since joining Atlanta; he's gone 25-for-80 (.313) in 25 games with his new squad. For the year, Merrifield owns a .678 OPS with 15 extra-base hits and 38 runs scored over 272 plate appearances.
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Gleyber Torres 2B | NYY
Yankees' Gleyber Torres: Homers in back-to-back games
Torres went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-2 win against the Nationals.
Torres took Mitchell Parker deep on the fifth pitch of the game. It was Torres' second leadoff homer this season, the other was on July 24. It was also the second time this season that Torres went deep in back-to-back games. Torres has hits in six straight games and has settled into the Yankees leadoff spot, hitting first in 10 straight games. The 27-year-old has put together a strong August, hitting .296/.383/.395 in 21 games.
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Vidal Brujan 2B | MIA
Marlins' Vidal Brujan: Filling in for injured Edwards
Brujan will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Rockies.
Brujan will pick up a third consecutive start at shortstop in place of Xavier Edwards (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday. The Marlins opted to call up an extra outfielder (Griffin Conine) from Triple-A Jacksonville rather than an infielder to replace Edwards on the active roster, so Brujan looks like he could have a clear path to a full-time role while Edwards is on the shelf. Brujan flashed an interesting blend of power and speed during his time in the minors, but he's produced an underwhelming .638 OPS over 259 plate appearances with Miami this season and hasn't been efficient on the basepaths (five stolen bases in 10 attempts) either.
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Will Wagner 2B | TOR
Blue Jays' Will Wagner: Getting evening off
Wagner is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Earlier Monday, Wagner played the final eight innings of a game against the Red Sox that was originally suspended in the second inning back on June 26. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the game, which will go down as his MLB debut, despite the fact that he wasn't promoted from Triple-A Buffalo until Aug. 12. Leo Jimenez will cover second base in place of Wagner in the nightcap.
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Spencer Horwitz 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: On bench for second game of day
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Horwitz will get a breather after he played seven innings earlier in the day in the Blue Jays' 4-1 win in the resumption of a game that had been suspended June 26 in the second inning. With Horwitz on the bench for the nightcap, Vladimir Guerrero will start at first base and George Springer will serve as Toronto's designated hitter.
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Luis Garcia 2B | WAS
Nationals' Luis Garcia: Idle against lefty
Garcia is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
The lefty-hitting Garcia will hit the bench in the series opener with the Yankees sending southpaw Nestor Cortes to the mound. Idlemaro Vargas will check in for Garcia in the Washington infield, occupying second base and batting eighth.
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Edouard Julien 2B | MIN
Twins' Edouard Julien: Sitting against southpaw
Julien is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta.
The lefty-hitting Julien had started in each of the last four games at second base, but he'll head to the bench Monday while Atlanta sends southpaw Max Fried to the hill. Julien could be at risk of losing out on his large-side platoon role and may even be demoted to Triple-A St. Paul at some point during the upcoming week, as fellow infielder Brooks Lee (bicep/shoulder) looks to be nearing a return from the 10-day injured list.
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Whit Merrifield 2B | ATL
Braves' Whit Merrifield: Leading off with Harris on bench
Merrifield will start at second base and bat leadoff in Monday's game against the Twins.
Merrifield will get his first look in the leadoff role while Michael Harris takes a seat after injuring his hand in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Nationals. Assuming he avoids a trip to the injured list, Harris should eventually settle back in atop the lineup, but Merrifield still looks as though he'll retain a prominent spot in the batting order. After mostly hitting eighth or ninth in his first three weeks with Atlanta, Merrifield had batted either second or sixth in his last five starts before getting the leadoff nod Monday. Merrifield's ascension in the lineup comes while he's reached base in each of his last 19 starts while slashing a robust .279/.413/.410 over that stretch.
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Michael Massey 2B | KC
Royals' Michael Massey: Taking seat for Game 2 of twin bill
Massey is out of the lineup for the second game of Monday's doubleheader with the Guardians.
Maikel Garcia will step in at the keystone in place of the lefty-hitting Massey, who will hit the bench for the nightcap while the Guardians send southpaw Logan Allen to the bump. Massey played all nine innings of the Royals' 4-3 win in Game 1, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
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Adam Frazier 2B | KC
Royals' Adam Frazier: On bench for Game 2
Frazier is out of the lineup for the second game of Monday's doubleheader with the Guardians.
Though he won't end up starting in either game of the twin bill, Frazier came off the bench in the Royals' 4-3 win earlier in the day and played three innings in right field while striking out in both of his at-bats. The lefty-hitting Frazier could be a deployed off the bench once again in the nightcap once Cleveland southpaw Logan Allen exits the contest.