MLB Player News

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, two RBI and an additional run in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Red Sox.

Since being acquired Aug. 2 from the Royals, Merrifield has largely served as a utility player for the Blue Jays, but the hot bat he's shown of late likely has him in line to handle an everyday role at second base once the postseason begins. Heading into the Blue Jays' final series of the regular season against the Orioles that begins Monday, Merrifield is riding a six-game hit streak and has reached base in all but one of his last 11 contests. During that 11-game stretch, Merrifield is slashing .421/.439/.842 with four home runs, four doubles, nine RBI and nine runs.

Bae went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base Sunday against the Cardinals.

Bae has started seven of nine games since being promoted for his major-league debut. He tallied his third stolen base Sunday and also has eight hits across 26 at-bats. Though Bae has yet to go yard, he has contributed across the box score by racking up three doubles, three runs scored and four RBI in his small sample in the majors.

Andrus went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday against the Padres.

Andrus took Blake Snell deep in the sixth inning to record his 16th homer of the season. The performance continued a surprising surge in power for Andrus, as he now has seven long balls across his last 29 games. He's also chipped in nine stolen bases in that span while hitting .288, reminiscent of his production dating back to the 2019 campaign.

Rodgers went 1-for-5 with a solo home run Sunday against the Dodgers.

Rodgers took Tyler Anderson yard in the opening frame to tally his 12th home run of the season. It was his first long ball since Aug. 12 -- a span of 32 games -- and he's hit just .188 with five RBI and 12 runs scored in that span. Despite that slump, Rodgers has tallied a career-high 62 RBI and 71 runs scored across 569 plate appearances.

McNeil went 3-for-5 with a solo home run during Sunday's 5-3 loss to Atlanta.

McNeil connected on a solo shot off Atlanta starter Charlie Morton in the third inning while adding singles in the first and seventh to collect multiple hits for the fifth straight game. The 30-year-old is batting 11-for-21 during the stretch to boost his average from .317 to .326 -- just one point behind MLB-leader Freddie Freeman. McNeil is slashing .326/.381/.448 with eight home runs, 71 runs and 61 RBI in 145 contests.

Rojas went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

Rojas collected six hits in three games in this weekend series versus the Giants. He added four RBI, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. He slumped in September, but he could finish the year strong with a small burst of offense in the final week. The versatile 28-year-old has maintained a .268/.348/.383 slash line with eight home runs, 54 RBI, 65 runs scored, 22 stolen bases and 24 doubles through 122 contests this season.

Stott went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's 8-1 win over Washington.

Stott brought home one run in the second inning before knocking a two-run double in the fourth. He had driven in just three runs over his previous 12 games while going 6-for-42 (.143). On the year, the rookie infielder is slashing .232/.292/.348 with 12 steals and 29 extra-base hits through 124 games.

Hoerner went 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Reds.

Hoerner got in on Sunday's rout of the Reds with four combined runs and RBI despite recording just one total base on the afternoon. The 25-year-old now has 54 RBI and 56 runs on the season to go along with 19 stolen bases and nine home runs over 132 games. Since returning to the lineup Sept. 25 after dealing with a triceps injury, Hoerner is 4-for-28 with two runs scored and five RBI.

Espinal (oblique) hit off a pitching machine Sunday and is scheduled to face live pitching Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Espinal began running the bases Friday and is now ramping up his hitting program. The 27-year-old is already eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list, and he could be back for the final game of the regular season Wednesday if he continues to progress with no issues.

Villar is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Villar has a .559 OPS and 37.5 percent strikeout rate in his past 10 contests and will take a seat Sunday. Evan Longoria will start at the hot corner in the series finale versus Arizona.