MLB Player News

Merrifield went 4-for-5 with a run scored in Monday's 6-3 extra-innings win over the Dodgers.

This was Merrifield's eighth multi-hit effort in 17 games in July -- he's batting an excellent (.355) for the month. That's also come with some power in the form of four home runs, accounting for a majority of his total (six) this season. The versatile 34-year-old's surge has him up to a .299/.351/.403 slash line with 42 RBI, 43 runs scored and 20 stolen bases over 92 contests. Most importantly, it's helped him stay in the lineup on a near-everyday basis of late, primarily at second base and in left field.

Donovan went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Monday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

After being out of the lineup from Thursday to Saturday, Donovan has checked back in for each of the last two games. While his persistent flexor strain continues to limit him to designated hitter, he could find himself out of the lineup when other players need to rest their legs. Donovan has gone 10-for-32 (.313) since the All-Star break, and he has a .287/.371/.430 slash line with 11 home runs, 34 RBI, 44 runs scored and four stolen bases over 90 contests this season.

Kim went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Pirates.

Kim led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo shot, then added a two-run blast in the fifth. The infielder has racked up six multi-hit efforts in his last 12 contests, but none of them have come in consecutive games. He's slashing .270/.363/.447 with 14 homers, 37 RBI, 53 runs scored and 18 stolen bases over 96 games this season.

Peguero went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Monday's 8-4 win over the Padres.

Pegeuro went yard in the fourth inning, and his homer stood as the knock that gave the Pirates enough to win. This was his fifth game since his July 17 call-up, and he's gone 3-for-18 (.167) with two extra-base hits and four RBI. He appears to be the Pirates' preferred shortstop versus left-handed pitchers, but Peguero could see an increased role with Tucupita Marcano (knee) leaving Monday's game with a ligament injury.

Trejo went 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI in Monday's win over Washington.

Trejo had a near-perfect day at the plate, highlighted by the seventh inning where he doubled and scored a run. It was his first multi-hit game since May 26 -- in 14 games between then and Monday, he posted a .583 OPS with 12 strikeouts in 33 at-bats. Trejo improved his season slash line to .256/.291/.353 with 11 extra-base hits and 15 runs scored through 142 plate appearances.

Westburg went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-2 victory over the Phillies.

Westburg gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead with his first career home run, taking Cristopher Sanchez deep to the opposite field in the second inning. The 24-year-old Westburg had been struggling a bit at the plate, going 4-for-21 (.190) over his previous eight games while falling into a platoon role. The rookie infielder is now slashing .266/.319/.438 with 10 runs scored, eight RBI and a stolen base through his first 69 plate appearances.

Short hit a two-run home run in his only at-bat during Monday's 5-1 win over the Giants.

Short entered the game in the top of the eighth inning, taking over at third base for Nick Maton. He then went deep in the bottom half of the frame, giving him five home runs this season. That's only one away from his career high, and Short reached a career high in RBI with 22. The infielder had six home runs and 20 RBI across 61 games back in 2021, then appeared in just six games for the Tigers last year.

Gorman (back) isn't in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Gorman will miss his second straight contest while tending to back soreness. Brendan Donovan gets the start in the DH slot and is set to bat leadoff in Gorman's absence.

Gonzales is not in the starting lineup Monday versus the Padres, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Gonzales will take a seat after he went 2-for-11 with a double and two runs scored over the team's series in Los Angeles. Tucupita Marcano will take over at second base and bat eighth in the series opener at San Diego.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday that it's possible Altuve (oblique) can be activated without going out on a rehab assignment first, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Baker did note that he has not yet spoken to Altuve about the possibility. Altuve began taking batting practice last week as he works his way back from a left oblique strain, so if he doesn't wind up needing rehab games it seems as if he could be activated relatively soon. The veteran second baseman has been sidelined since early July.