MLB Player News
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Whit Merrifield 2B | ATL
Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Absent from Game 1 lineup
Merrifield is not in the lineup for Tuesday's AL Wild Card Series opener against the Twins, Ben Wagner of Sportsnet Radio reports.
Given his usage down the stretch of the regular season, it's not a surprise to see Merrifield begin this one on the bench. The Blue Jays are opting for Cavan Biggio at second base, Daulton Varsho in left field and Kevin Kiermaier in center.
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Christian Arroyo 2B | NYM
Christian Arroyo: Exits Boston
Arroyo elected free agency Monday.
Arroyo had been removed from the Red Sox' 40-man roster and has opted for a fresh start elsewhere rather than accepting an outright assignment. The veteran infielder is a career .252/.299/.394 hitter over parts of seven big-league seasons.
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Jorge Polanco 2B | NYM
Twins' Jorge Polanco: Back in action for Game 1
Polanco (ankle) is starting at third base and batting second in Tuesday's Game 1 of their AL Wild Card Series versus the Blue Jays.
Polanco missed the final two games of the regular season with a right ankle injury, but he's ready to go for the Twins' playoff opener. With Royce Lewis limited to designated hitter duties as he returns from a hamstring injury, Polanco is in line to serve as Minnesota's regular third baseman.
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Owen Miller 2B | CHC
Brewers' Owen Miller: Makes roster for wild-card round
Miller is on the roster for the Brewers' NL Wild Card Series matchup against Arizona.
This comes as a bit of a surprise given that Miller spent the final three weeks of the regular season with Triple-A Nashville, but the Brewers have decided to roll with 15 position players -- and only 11 pitchers -- in their best-of-three series versus the Diamondbacks. Miller, 26, batted .261/.303/.371 with five homers and 13 steals across 90 major-league games this season.
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Luis Arraez 2B | SF
Marlins' Luis Arraez: Expected to be ready for Game 1
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said Monday that he expects Arraez (ankle) to be ready for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Phillies on Tuesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Arraez hasn't started a game in more than a week after aggravating a left ankle sprain on Sept. 23, but he did contribute a pinch-hit single off the bench this past Friday and is expected to be in the Marlins' Game 1 lineup. The two-time batting champ finished the 2023 campaign having slashed .354/.393/.469 with 10 home runs.
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Brandon Drury 2B | KC
Angels' Brandon Drury: Swats two homers in win
Drury went 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Athletics.
Drury opened things up with a first-inning home run and added on with a two-run shot to right center in the fifth. He finishes the 2023 campaign slashing .262/.306/.497 with 26 homers, 83 RBI, 61 runs and a 25:136 BB:K in 523 plate appearances. His home run and RBI totals trailed only Shohei Ohtani for the team lead despite Drury missing seven weeks due to injury. The 30-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Halos before the season, although it's possible the team ships him off to a contender with rumors swirling that a rebuild might be in the works.
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Ozzie Albies 2B | ATL
Braves' Ozzie Albies: On base four times
Albies went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored in Sunday's 10-9 loss to the Nationals.
Albies finished off his strong second half with his 14th multi-hit game of the month. Since the return from the All-Star break, Albies is slashing .304/.363/.518 with 11 homers, 46 RBI, 47 runs and a 20:50 BB:K. Among all second basemen, he finished in the top five in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, OPS, total bases, runs, hits, doubles and batting average. Albies' strong campaign concludes with a slash line of .280/.336/.513 with 33 homers, 109 RBI, 96 runs, 13 steals and a 46:107 BB:K in 658 plate appearances.
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Tommy Edman 2B | LAD
Cardinals' Tommy Edman: Adds another steal
Edman went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Reds.
Edman had multiple hits in six of his last nine games this season, picking up three steals while batting .371 (13-for-35) in that span. The utility man's production fell short of previous years in many areas, but his ability to seamlessly move between the middle infield and center field helped smooth things over in a difficult year for the Cardinals. He ends the campaign with a .248/.307/.399 slash line, 13 home runs, 27 steals in 31 attempts, 47 RBI and 69 runs scored across 137 contests.
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Ronny Mauricio 2B | NYM
Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Logs seventh steal
Mauricio went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 9-1 loss to the Phillies.
Mauricio had one of the Mets' two hits in the game. He slashed .248/.296/.347 with two home runs, seven steals, nine RBI and 11 runs scored across his first 26 major-league games. The infield prospect will likely have a chance to win a starting role for 2024 during spring training after holding his own over his first month in the majors.
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Bryson Stott 2B | PHI
Phillies' Bryson Stott: On base four times Sunday
Stott went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, one RBI and one run scored in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Mets.
Stott had gone 4-for-34 over a nine-game stretch without a multi-hit effort before putting the slump to rest in the regular-season finale. This season was a breakout year for the second baseman. He posted a .280/.329/.419 slash line with 15 home runs, 62 RBI, 78 runs scored and 31 stolen bases over 151 games, and he should be the starter at the keystone for the Phillies in the playoffs.