Philadelphia Phillies utility man Whit Merrifield is starting in left field and is batting eighth on Monday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Andrew Abbott. Brandon Marsh is moving to center field, which pushes Johan Rojas to the bench. Merrifield wasn't in the team's Opening Day lineup last Thursday, but he's started each of the last three games with left-handers on the mound. The 35-year-old three-time All-Star is looking likely to play anytime the Phils face lefties and to help fill in when others need days off throughout the year. So far through his two games played, he's gone 1-for-7 with a walk in eight plate appearances. As long as Merrifield sticks near the bottom of the Phillies' batting order, he's not going to have a very high fantasy ceiling on a daily basis.

Philadelphia Phillies utility player Whit Merrifield will get the start in left field on Saturday opposite Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried. The veteran was said to get some playing time this weekend with the Braves facing lefties both Saturday and Sunday. With Johan Rojas winning the everyday center field job, Merrifield will be relegated to the short side of a platoon alongside Brandon Marsh in left field this season. The 35-year-old inked a one-year pact with the Phillies this winter after hitting .272 with 11 home runs and 26 steals across 145 appearances with the Blue Jays last season. He'll have his hands full against Fried who posted a 2.55 ERA across an injury-shortened 14 starts a season ago.

Philadelphia Phillies infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield was not in the starting lineup for the team's season opener on Friday against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, but with the Phillies facing lefties on Saturday and Sunday, Merrifield will likely be in the lineup, according to manager Rob Thomson. Merrifield told Thomson before signing in the offseason that, "I'll work myself into the lineup." The three-time All-Star hit .272/.318/.382 in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays with 11 home runs, 67 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 145 games in a bounce-back year. The short side of a platoon role in Philly hurts his overall upside for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, but Merrifield could be more efficient in 2024 if he's mostly facing lefties. He's a .289 career hitter in 526 games against southpaws.

Free-agent infielder Whit Merrifield agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, according to a source. The deal includes a club option for the 2025 season that will also be worth $8 million. Merrifield is now 35 and has been in decline since leaving the Kansas City Royals midway through the 2022 season, but he still managed to hit .272/.318/.382 with 11 home runs, 67 RBI, 26 stolen bases and 66 runs scored in 145 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023. He's probably not going to have an everyday role in Philadelphia, but Merrifield should bounce around between second base and the outfield and can still provide some modest speed for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. Merrifield has always made consistent contact despite being aggressive at the dish.

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield is moving closer to making a decision on where he will play next, according to a source, and he's expected to agree to terms with a team by the end of the weekend. Merrifield's market has picked up in recent days, with five teams showing varying levels of interest in him. The 35-year-old veteran became a free agent when both he and the Toronto Blue Jays declined his mutual option for 2024 worth $18 million. He lost playing time down the stretch in 2023 while posting a .700 OPS, 11 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 592 plate appearances. Merrifield's production began to fall off in 2022, and he's no longer as much of a threat for fantasy managers in the batting average and steals departments.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Thursday that second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield's $18 million mutual option for the 2024 season has been declined by both sides. Merrifield will now hit the open market this offseason, as expected. The Blue Jays definitely weren't going to pay Merrifield $18 million next year after he lost playing time down the stretch in the regular season. The 34-year-old utility man is useful for his multi-positional eligibility in fantasy and for his speed, but the three-time All-Star has never reached 20 homers in a single season and also isn't running as much as he was in his prime with the Kansas City Royals. Merrifield finished his first full year in Toronto in 2023 with a .272/.318/.382 slash line, 11 home runs, 27 doubles, 67 RBI, 26 stolen bases and 66 runs scored in 145 games played.

Toronto Blue Jays infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield (groin) is playing left field and batting fifth for the team on Wednesday against the visiting Texas Rangers and left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Merrifield is back in action for the Jays after missing the last two games with groin tightness. The 34-year-old veteran super utilityman has struggled at the plate of late, so fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he snaps out of his slump. In nine games (eight starts) so far in September, he's gone 7-for-34 (.206) with a double, four RBI, five strikeouts, a stolen base and three runs scored. Against southpaws in 2023, Merrifield has gone 35-for-124 (.282) with three of his 11 home runs. Merrifield continues to be valuable in fantasy for his positional versatility and his speed (25 steals).

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield went 3-for-5 with a double, one RBI, one run scored, and a stolen base in Friday's 13-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The 34-year-old ended August on a low note, hitting just 8-for-54 in his previous 13 games, so this was a promising sight. Merrifield notably singled and stole second base during the second inning before doubling in a seventh-inning run. The three-time All-Star's 2022 post-trade deadline resurgence after joining the Jays has carried over into 2023, batting .290 (139-for-480) with 11 home runs, 25 doubles, 59 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Fantasy managers hope Merrifield works his way back up Toronto's lineup, and Friday's effort should only aid that cause.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield drove in four runs in an 8-1 victory over the Dodgers Wednesday. Merrifield smacked a 400-foot home run in the fifth frame of Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin. He now has seven homers in 2023. The 34-year-old was also 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. After struggling last season, Merrifield has rebounded, hitting .299/.350/.413 with 46 RBI and 20 swiped bags.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners. Cavan Biggio is getting the start at second base and Kevin Kiermaier is manning center field against Logan Gilbert and the M's in this one. Merrifield will likely come in as a pinch-hitter at some point on Saturday. The veteran 34-year-old is slashing .291/.344/.398 with six home runs, 42 RBI, and 20 stolen bases over 327 at-bats on the season.

On Thursday, Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield hit two solo home runs, helping the Blue Jays secure a narrow 5-4 victory over the White Sox. Despite only scoring five runs, the Blue Jays managed to make the most of their offensive opportunities with three home runs and 13 additional hits. Merrifield's impressive first half of the season has earned him a spot in the upcoming All-Star Game, marking his third appearance.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a strikeout in Sunday's 7-6 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins. The stolen base was Merrifield's 17th of the season, and he's now batting a strong .300 (65-for-217) with 13 doubles, two home runs, 25 RBI and 29 runs scored in 240 plate appearances over 60 games in his first full season in Toronto. The 34-year-old veteran has been heating up with the weather, too, and is hitting .351 (13-for-37) with two doubles, four RBI and three stolen bases in 11 games so far in the month of June. The two-time All-Star has already surpasses his stolen-base total from 2022 and could threaten for his third 40-steal campaign in 2023 if he can stay healthy.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a strikeout in the team's 3-1 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Merrifield is seeing the ball really well of late, going 18-for-46 (.391) with two doubles, a home run, five RBI and three stolen bases in 49 plate appearances in his last 13 games. The 34-year-old veteran has never been much of a power guy, but he makes a ton of contact and has speed to spare. Merrifield's recent hot stretch at the plate has raised his season slash line to .295/.345/.388 with a .733 OPS, 11 doubles, two home runs, 21 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 50 games. Keep rolling him out there in your starting lineups until he cools off.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Merrifield launched a two-run homer in the fourth inning, cutting the Rays' lead to 4-2. The veteran infielder is now hitting .287 with two homers, 21 runs, 19 RBI, and 13 steals across 150 at-bats in 2023.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield is not starting on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. This looks to be a routine day of rest for the 34-year-old stolen base artist. Merrifield is slashing .264/.323/.350 with one home run, 16 RBI, and 12 stolen bases over 140 at-bats. He's been heating up at the dish of late and has notched five steals over his last eight contests. Santiago Espinal is taking over at second base against Grayson Rodriguez and the O's.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Whit Merrifield could not be stopped on the base paths in Friday's 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, as he swiped three bases. In addition to running wild, Merrifield went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a run scored. The 34-year-old veteran still hasn't cleared the fences for a home run this year, but he's hitting a strong .292 (26-for-89) with eight doubles, 10 RBI, four stolen bases and 10 runs scored in 100 plate appearances in his first 25 games played for Toronto. In his last 11 games, he's gone 10-for-38 (.263) with four doubles, three RBI and two stolen bases. Although Merrifield isn't quite as good as he was in his prime in Kansas City, he can still rack up useful counting stats with the Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman/outfielder is not in Saturday's starting lineup to take on Easton McGee and The Seattle Mariners. The veteran of eight seasons is in the midst of a bounce-back season, slashing .324/.383/.423 with four steals, 10 runs, and 10 RBI over 20 games. Cavan Biggio will man second base in Merrifield's absence. The 28-year-old's having a disastrous campaign thus far, batting .119 with two home runs, five runs, four RBI, and one steal across 15 contests. The once-promising Biggio hasn't been an above-average hitter since 2020, as per wRC+, and his fantasy relevance is almost non-existent.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield (rest) is absent from Monday's starting lineup against the Kansas City Royals. This appears to be a routine day off for the 34-year-old veteran. Cavan Biggio will cover second base and bat eighth versus right-hander Brady Singer on Monday. The expectation is that Merrifield will be back in the lineup for their next game. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly on Monday.

Toronto Blue Jays utility man Whit Merrifield is not in the lineup on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Merrifield drew the start on Opening Day at second base but is taking a seat on Saturday vs. Jack Flaherty and the Cardinals. Cavan Biggio is manning the keystone while Daulton Varsho, George Springer, and Kevin Kiermaier man the outfield. Brandon Belt is filling at designated hitter for Toronto.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield (quadriceps) is back in the starting lineup for the Grapefruit League game on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Mitch Keller. He's starting at second base and batting leadoff. Merrifield suffered a right quadriceps injury last Thursday and hasn't played in a spring game since as a precaution. The 34-year-old is heading into his first full season with Toronto after being acquired from the Kansas City Royals in 2022. He was in serious decline in KC before the trade, but he hit .281 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 44 games with the Jays to close out the year. Merrifield has a better shot to rack up counting stats this year in a better lineup, but fantasy managers shouldn't bank on a return to his All-Star form.