MLB Player News

Merrifield went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Twins.

Merrifield has opened his career with the Blue Jays by going 5-for-13 in his first three games, though he's also struck out six times. His steal Saturday was his first with his new team and his 16th in 19 attempts this year. He owns a .245/.293/.354 slash line with six home runs, 43 RBI and 53 runs scored in 98 contests, though he's hit in the bottom half of Toronto's order since his debut -- on the bright side that could lead to more RBI chances than he saw atop the Royals' lineup prior to the trade deadline. With George Springer (elbow) going on the injured list Saturday, Merrifield figures to be a near-everyday starter in center field.

Arraez went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, an RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Arraez's bat-to-ball skills have been a bright spot this year, but this was just his third multi-hit effort in 12 games since the All-Star break. It was also his fourth game of the year with multiple doubles. The 25-year-old's seen his batting average slip from .340 at the end of June to .325 after this contest. He's added an .822 OPS, six home runs and 35 RBI while setting career highs Saturday in steals (three) and runs scored (59) through 96 games overall.

Arroyo went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.

Arroyo has gone 12-for-25 (.480) in seven games since he returned from a groin injury. He's started in all but one contest since his return, and the hot bat likely has something to do with that. Through 154 plate appearances, Arroyo has a .270/.320/.411 slash line with four home runs, 13 RBI, 18 runs scored, three stolen bases, six doubles and a triple. He should maintain the inside edge for playing time at the keystone until Trevor Story (wrist) rejoins the lineup.

Lopez went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

Lopez has seen some increased freedom to run in August -- he's already recorded four steals in six games this month after logging just two thefts in all of July. He's gone 5-for-17 (.294) in August, putting his season slash line at .247/.305/.294 with 11 steals, 13 RBI, 39 runs scored, 11 doubles and two triples through 102 contests. Lopez should continue seeing steady playing time in the middle infield and occasionally at third base as one of the more veteran infielders on the Royals' young roster.

Hoerner went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's victory over Miami.

All three hits were singles, but Hoerner grabbed an extra bag in the second inning against the battery of Pablo Lopez and Nick Fortes, his 12th steal this season. While he doesn't provide a ton of pop, the stolen bases and high batting average (.298) make Hoerner appealing in a variety of formats.

Vargas is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.

Considered by many to be the top prospect in the organization, Vargas was added to the 40-man roster earlier this week and collected two hits in his MLB debut, but he's been on the bench for two of three games since. Even with Justin Turner (abdomen) on the injured list, the Dodgers' infield is crowded.

Villar was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Villar and Dixon Machado were the roster casualties for Brandon Crawford (knee) and Joc Pederson (concussion), though unlike Machado, Villar maintains his 40-man spot. An 11th-round pick in 2018, Villar struggled to a .175/.338/.286 slash line in his first taste of the majors, but the 25-year-old posted an OPS north of 1.000 in 66 games with Sacramento to begin the year (1.042).

Garcia is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.

It's a bit odd to see Garcia sitting given the run he's been on, collecting multiple hits in four of his last five games. The 22-year-old has a 1.016 OPS in his last 10 games. There has not been any word of an injury to this point, so perhaps the team just felt Garcia could use a day off. Ildemaro Vargas starts at shortstop.

Kemp won't start Saturday's game against the Giants.

Kemp's off day here against Carlos Rodon means he's now been on the bench against the last seven lefties the Athletics have faced. Chad Pinder will get the nod in left field.

Altuve went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI on Friday.

Altuve collected his fourth consecutive multi-hit game and his fifth time in his last six contests. He's hit .520 in that longer span, also chipping in five runs scored and a stolen base. For the season, Altuve is hitting .287/.371/.517 across 396 plate appearances.