MLB Player News

Merrill went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Rays.

Merrill was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable effort by the Padres, launching a 425-foot blast in the sixth inning. The 23-year-old has now homered three times in his past six games, and he's gone deep seven times with 21 RBI in 25 August contests. On the season, he's slashing .241/.293/.424 with 22 home runs, 69 RBI, 70 runs scored and 24 steals across 553 plate appearances.

Simpson went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two stolen bases in Friday's 9-4 win over the Padres.

Simpson stole second and came around to score in the fourth and fifth innings. It was the 25-year-old's seventh multi-steal game of the season, and he's now hitting a ridiculous .380 in 37 games since the All-Star break. On the season, he's slashing .309/.337/.364 with 29 RBI, 53 runs scored and 37 stolen bases across 509 plate appearances.

Harris went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, three RBI and two runs scored during Friday's 6-4 win over Colorado.

Harris contributed to Atlanta's three-run second inning with an RBI double before extending his team's lead to 6-3 with a two-run homer in the fifth. It was Harris' fourth multi-hit game in his last 10 outings, during which he has gone 14-for-38 (.368) with two steals, two home runs, six doubles, seven RBI and five runs scored.

Acuna went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and three runs scored during Atlanta's 6-4 win over the Rockies on Friday.

Acuna entered Friday's game having gone 5-for-41 (.122) across his 10 prior games. He ended up setting a season high Friday with three hits, and it was the fourth time this year that he reached base safety four times. Acuna is currently sitting at a career low in batting average (.235) and has a .748 OPS in 361 plate appearances, but perhaps Friday's performance is a sign the veteran outfielder will find another gear for the stretch run.

Lukes went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Blue Jays' 8-1 win over the Mariners on Friday.

Lukes gave Toronto a 4-1 lead after taking Emerson Hancock deep to right field for a solo home run, with the former crossing home plate a second time on a Myles Straw RBI single in the seventh. Lukes has been hot at the plate recently, having gone 8-for-24 with four home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored over his last seven games. For the year, he has a .708 OPS with one steal, 10 homers and 32 RBI over 359 plate appearances.

Waldschmidt isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

Waldschmidt will take a day to regroup after going just 1-for-10 over his last five games. Jordan Lawlar will start in center field and bat ninth while Waldschmidt sits.

Kepler isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against San Francisco.

Kepler will move to the bench Friday after going just 7-for-42 (.167) at the plate through his first 13 games in August. Lars Nootbaar will start in left field as a result, moving Gabriel Moreno to the DH spot and allowing James McCann to start at catcher.

Lee (elbow) is starting in right field and batting fifth against the Diamondbacks on Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Lee was held out the Giants' lineup the last two days due to an elbow bruise, but he's been cleared to start Friday's contest. He has a .238 batting average (20-for-84) with four steals, three home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored in August.

Hill (neck) will start in center field and bat ninth Friday against the Angels, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

After leaving Saturday's game against the Cardinals due to neck stiffness, Hill missed three straight games before entering Thursday's contest off the bench. Now fully healthy, he'll fill in for Justin Crawford while the Phillies take on left-hander Reid Detmers.

Wood (oblique) participated in Friday's batting practice, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Wood took another step in his recovery from a left oblique strain that landed him on the 10-day injured list Aug. 4. Nationals manager Blake Butera noted Friday that Wood may not need to go on a rehab assignment and could be back in the team's lineup by next week.