MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Indians.

Merrifield wasn't particularly productive at the plate in the regular-season finale, but he managed to record his 45th stolen base. He was extremely aggressive on the basepaths to close the season, stealing 10 bags in his last 10 starts. Though he's not much of a power producer, he hit for a good average (.304) and scored plenty of runs (88), while supporting his 2017 breakout and making his case to be considered a top-50 fantasy player, at least in rotisserie leagues, entering 2019.

Solarte is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Solarte will hit the bench for the second straight game and third time in the last four games as he is 5-for-35 in September. The Blue Jays continue to prioritize giving starts to their younger assets, with Aledmys Diaz at third base and Richard Urena at shortstop. Solarte has a .226/.277/.378 slash line and 17 home runs in a disappointing 2018 season.

Polanco went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI in Saturday's 8-3 win over the White Sox.

He's been on fire to close out the campaign, collecting multiple hits in four of the last six games to boost his September slash line to .318/.364/.473. Polanco now has a career-high .778 OPS in 76 games this season, and the 25-year-old will head into the spring locked in as the Twins' starting shortstop.

Torres went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in an 8-5 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.

Torres' fourth-inning shot off Eduardo Rodriguez not only lifted the Yankees to a three-run lead, it broke the single-season home-run record of 264 previously held by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. Torres is hitting .274 with 24 home runs and 77 RBI this season.

Solarte is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Solarte heads to the bench after going 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Friday's win over Tampa Bay. Aledmys Diaz will start at third base for the Blue Jays, with Richard Urena at shortstop and Jon Berti at second base.

Altuve will sit for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Orioles.

The Astros will avoid overworking their stars in the twin bill, with the team already locked into the second seed in the American League. Marwin Gonzalez will play second base for the first game, while Altuve will likely lead off and play second base in the nightcap.

Andrus went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Friday's 12-6 loss to the Mariners.

Andrus is closing out a tough season on a high note, going 7-for-16 with three doubles over the last five games. That tough year was the result of an early season elbow injury that sapped his power. He had a .500 slugging percentage and .926 OPS prior to the injury, followed by a .351/.643 since. Unrelated to his power, Andrus' steal Friday was just his fifth after averaging 30 over his previous nine seasons.

Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.

Rodriguez heads to the bench for the second straight game as the Tigers are without the services of a designated hitter in Milwaukee. Niko Goodrum starts at shortstop and Harold Castro at second base for the Tigers.

Forsythe is not in the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

Forsythe will take a seat after going 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored during Thursday's victory over Detroit. In his place, Gregorio Petit will man the keystone and bat ninth.

Polanco went 3-for-5 with a double Thursday against the Tigers.

Polanco now has three consecutive multi-hit games and six in his last 10 starts. Despite missing half the season due to a PED suspension, he's largely replicated his breakout 2017 campaign on a per-game basis.