MLB Player News

Merrifield (head) is starting at second base and batting second Friday against the Blue Jays.

The 35-year-old sat out the past two games after being struck in the head by a pitch Tuesday, but he's back in action for Friday's series opener versus Toronto. Merrifield has been fairly productive since latching on with Atlanta and has a .248/.359/.349 slash line with a homer and five stolen bases in 33 games.

Rodgers is out of the lineup for Friday's game at Milwaukee.

Rodgers started the previous seven games but will receive a day off after batting .310 (9-for-29) with three homers during that stretch. Aaron Schunk will take over at second base and bat ninth in the series opener.

Bogaerts went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's loss to the Tigers.

Bogaerts jumped on a hanging slider from Casey Mize in the bottom of the second inning and launched it into the left-field stands, extending San Diego's lead to three runs. The infielder would also add two singles to give him his fifth game this season with three or more hits, but his first since July 27 against Baltimore. The long ball was Bogaerts' eighth of the campaign, and he's now batting .357 (5-for-14) in September with three RBI and three runs scored.

Stott went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI Thursday against the Marlins.

Stott kicked off the scoring in the first inning for the Phillies with a two-out RBI single, then later added a solo shot, his 11th homer of the season. It was the fourth multi-hit effort over the last 10 games for Stott, but he's failed to collect a hit in each of the other six games during that stretch. Stott is slashing .243/.319/.367 across 496 plate appearances with 30 extra-base hits, 51 RBI, 59 runs and 29 steals in 31 attempts.

Gonzales went 1-for-4 with a walk and three RBI Thursday against the Nationals.

Gonzales posted a two-RBI single to cap a five-run second, then later drove in his third run with a bases-loaded walk. In nine games since returning from the injured list with a groin injury, Gonzales has hit 12-for-40 (.300) with five RBI, five runs, three doubles and a stolen base.

Garcia is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Pittsburgh.

It's a day off for the left-handed hitting Garcia as the Pirates send southpaw Bailey Falter to the bump. The switch-hitting Ildemaro Vargas will start at second base and bat sixth in the series opener.

Julien went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Julien took Taj Bradley deep in the second inning for his eighth home run of the season and his first since April 25. Julien's blast snapped a 54-game homerless streak, which was the longest of his career entering Thursday. Since his most recent call-up in the middle of August, the 25-year-old is hitting .282 over 19 games, but he hasn't started against a lefty since Aug. 16 and he even sat out against a righty Wednesday.

Merrifield (head) isn't in Atlanta's lineup Thursday against the Rockies.

Merrifield will sit down for the second game in a row after getting hit in the head by a pitch during Tuesday's contest. In his place, Luke Williams will start at the keystone and bat ninth.

Moore has a left meniscus injury that will be "treated conservatively," though he could return to play this season.

Moore exited a Double-A game Friday after hurting his left leg, and the Angels announced Wednesday that he suffered a meniscus injury. The organization indicated that the 21-year-old will get conservative treatment before trying to ramp up his baseball activity but didn't rule him out from returning in the regular season. That's a bit surprising considering that the Double-A campaign ends on Sept. 15.

India went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and two additional runs scored in Wednesday's 12-5 win over Houston.

India got the party started with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. It was his 14th homer of the season. He later walked and scored a second run in the same inning, as Cincinnati put a nine-spot on the board in the opening frame. India slumped coming out of the All-Star break, but he has a .902 OPS over the last 19 contests, including hits in all three September games (5-for-10, four walks, five runs).