MLB Player News

Merrill went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Mets.

Merrill showcased his clutch gene once again with a walk-off home run against Edwin Diaz. The 21-year-old rookie leads the league with six game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the eighth inning or later this season. He's notched at least a hit in nine of his last 10 games, slashing .308/.325/.615 with just three strikeouts over that span. For the year, Merrill is hitting .288/.319/.488 with 19 homers, 72 RBI, 65 runs, 13 steals and a 22:85 BB:K in 482 plate appearances and is making a case to win National League Rookie of the Year.

Profar went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Profar finally got the Padres on the board with a game-tying two-run blast in the eighth inning and they would go on to walk it off in the ninth. He has at least a hit in four straight games, which also includes an extra-base hit in three straight. The home run was his 21st of the year, a new career-high for the 31-year-old in his 11th season. For the year, Profar is slashing .291/.386/.478 with 79 RBI, 75 runs, seven steals and a 58:80 BB:K in 541 plate appearances.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's loss to the Padres.

Martinez went deep off Martin Perez in the fourth for the first run of the game. Three of his last four hits over the last six games have left the yard. Martinez now has 61 RBI in his last 89 games, which is third in the National League over that span behind Kyle Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani. For the year, Martinez is slashing .251/.334/.440 with 15 homers, 62 RBI, 39 runs and a 41:118 BB:K in 407 plate appearances.

Vientos went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Padres.

Vientos took Jason Adam deep to center in the seventh inning for one of two extra-base hits the Mets had all afternoon. It's the third time in his last five games with multiple hits and he's now tied for fourth among all third basemen with 21 homers despite having just 332 plate appearances. Vientos has seen himself batting from the two-hole the last 10 games, and while he owns a .977 OPS over that span, he's also striking out 44.9 percent of the time compared to 24.7 percent before the lineup change. The 24-year-old is enjoying a breakout campaign, slashing .277/.334/.551 with 41 extra-base hits, 55 RBI, 44 runs and a 25:92 BB:K.

Hjelle (3-4) allowed three runs on four hits and struck out one over 2.2 innings to take the loss versus the Mariners on Sunday.

Hjelle was called on for a long-relief assignment after Robbie Ray left the game with a hamstring injury. Over nine appearances this month, Hjelle has allowed six runs on 12 hits and two walks while striking out eight across 14.1 innings. He's at a 3.99 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 60:9 K:BB through 65.1 innings overall, and he's added four holds. Hjelle has lost his last three decisions and hasn't picked up a win since June 5.

McCray went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk Sunday against the Mariners.

McCray's eighth-inning blast was his second of the season and pulled the Giants to within one. The rookie center fielder has shown some pop in his short stint in the majors, posting a .306 average through his first 36 at-bats, with five of those 11 hits going for extra bases.

Ramos went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Mariners.

Ramos reached the 20-homer plateau with a two-run blast in the first inning off Bryan Woo, representing the only damage the Giants could muster off the Seattle starter. Ramos later added an infield single off Woo and has collected multiple hits in three of his last four games with four of the six hits during that stretch going for extra bases.

Sanchez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk during Sunday's 4-3 loss against the A's.

Sanchez cleared the fence for the ninth time this season and has now driven in five runs and scored three over his last two starts. Sanchez has collected at least one hit in 10 of his last 11 starts while his .243 batting average on the season is the best he's posted since 2017 while with the Yankees.

Scott went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Twins.

The homer was the second of Scott's major-league career, both of which have come during his current stint with the Cardinals. He's shown some positives lately, going 6-for-17 (.353) with two steals and three extra-base hits over his last seven contests. Scott is slashing .150/.197/.265 with two homers, eight RBI, 10 runs scored and four steals over 122 plate appearances as a rookie this year.

Armstrong (3-2) earned the win Sunday over the Twins, retiring both batters he faced.

Armstrong has been moderately effective in a middle-relief role since joining the Cardinals, allowing four runs over 11.1 innings across 10 appearances. He's added an 11:2 K:BB in that span. For the year, Armstrong has a 4.97 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 61:21 K:BB, one save and three holds over 58 innings between the Cardinals and the Rays. Given the success of St. Louis' high-leverage relievers, Armstrong is unlikely to move up the hierarchy.