MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks during Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Yankees.

Merrifield has been in the strong side of a platoon since being traded to the Blue Jays in early August, and he's gotten off to a slow start at the plate with his new team. Since the trade, the 33-year-old has hit .250 with a homer, six runs, two RBI and a stolen base. Merrifield will likely have to settle for occasional days off as long as Santiago Espinal and George Springer remain healthy.

Dubon went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.

Dubon singled and scored on two occasions Sunday, including in the ninth inning when he also stole second base. He's now successfully stolen two bags in five attempts on the year. The 28-year-old utility man improved his slash line to .222/.265/.328 with 25 runs scored and 20 RBI through 198 plate appearances.

Kemp, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run single and a run in an extra-inning win over the Mariners on Saturday, is now hitting .323 (10-for-31) over his last nine games.

The veteran has four multi-hit efforts over that span when factoring in Saturday's production, and some of the other components of his fantasy-friendly line include six RBI, five walks and one steal. Kemp's season average still sits at a lackluster .222, but thanks to his recent surge, that's actually the highest it's been since June 27.

Haggerty was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics with a lingering left shoulder injury, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

Manager Scott Servais said Haggerty recently aggravated the injury on a slide. According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, the shoulder bothers Haggerty only when he swings a bat, so he's expected to be available off the bench Sunday as a pinch-hitting option or as a late-inning defensive replacement. Adam Frazier, who had been scheduled to get the day off, will enter the starting nine in Haggerty's stead.

Arroyo started at second base, batted leadoff and went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Orioles.

Arroyo took over the leadoff spot with Tommy Pham unavailable due to a sore back. He's getting plenty of playing time at second base with Trevor Story (wrist) idle and taking advantage. Saturday's three-hit effort was the third in his last four games, raising the backup utility player's line to .397/.429/.548 over 19 games since coming off the injured list. Story has taken batting practice and is on the road trip with Boston, but the team has not yet divulged a timeline for his return.

Dubon (elbow) will start at second base and bat leadoff in Sunday's game in Atlanta.

Dubon was experiencing left elbow discomfort coming out of Friday's 6-2 loss after colliding with a chain-link fence, but a day out of the lineup Saturday was apparently all he needed to move past the issue. The Astros envision Dubon filling a utility role moving forward, but he'll get a turn at the keystone and in the leadoff spot Sunday while Jose Altuve (shoulder) is day-to-day.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Altuve is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Atlanta due to a sore shoulder, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Altuve is day-to-day and Aledmys Diaz (groin) was placed on the injured list a few days ago, which likely explains why Houston chose to call up utility man David Hensley from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Sunday's series finale. At this stage, Altuve is viewed as day-to-day, but it's unclear if he'll be available for the Astros' upcoming three-game series against the Twins following Monday's team off day. Mauricio Dubon will fill in at the keystone for Altuve for at least Sunday's contest.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with one run scored and one steal in Saturday's win over the Guardians.

Andrus, who stole third base in the seventh before scoring on a throwing error, has struggled of late, slashing .172/.226/.310 in 29 at-bats over his last 10 games. The 33-year-old has strangely been better in night games with a .758 OPS in 207 at-bats compared to a .537 OPS in 155 daytime at-bats. Seven of the shortstop's eight home runs have come in road games.

Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's victory over the Orioles.

Hernandez knocked in J.D. Martinez on a sixth-inning home run, his fifth of the year and his first since returning from the IL on Aug. 16. Hernandez has been productive in his last three games, going 4-for-14 with five RBI. The outfielder has also struck out seven times during that span, limiting him to a .211 batting average for the season.

Frazier went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Athletics.

Frazier's sac fly gave the Mariners a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. He was also plunked and stole second in the sixth, notching his eighth steal in 12 attempts this year. The second baseman saw his modest four-game hitting streak snapped Saturday, but this was just the fifth time in 18 August games he's produced an RBI. Frazier is slashing .248/.313/.319 with three home runs, 31 RBI and 53 runs scored through 482 plate appearances.