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Mercado (hip) will start in left field and bat second Sunday against the Rays, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Mercado was withheld from the lineup the past two days after sustaining a right hip contusion in the series opener. The injury was never viewed as a particularly serious concern, and Mercado's return to action for the finale supports that notion. In his prior six starts, Mercado had batted no higher than sixth in the order, but manager Terry Francona will give the rookie a spin in the two hole as the Indians look to shake things up after dropping five of their last six games.
