Player Outlook
Whit Merrifield is a tough player to pin down for 2024. He broke into the majors in 2016 at the age of 27 and became a fantasy darling on account of his high average and speed. He hit above .300 twice and totaled as many as 45 steals in a season. After Merrifield's production fell off in 2022, the Royals shipped him north of the border to Toronto. He finished below league average by wRC+ last season (93), but the speedy 2B/OF hit 11 homers and stole 26 bases to once again put himself in the good graces of fantasy managers. Both sides declined his mutual option for 2024. Already entering his age-35 season, Merrifield is on the wrong side of the aging curve, and it's fair to wonder when his speed will evaporate. His power has always been modest and Merrifield can safely be categorized as a low-OBP guy given his career 6.2% walk rate. He makes consistent contact, but the quality of that contact is declining.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
r
Runs
hr
Home Runs
rbi
Runs Batted In
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
sb
Stolen Bases
avg
Batting Average
2024 .000
2023 372.52.6 66 11 67 36 26 .272
2022 339.52.4 70 11 58 38 16 .250
3y Avg. 4042.7 78 11 66 38 27 .268
Projections Powered by
Fantasy Performance by Week
71%
Roster
36%
Start
#24
2B Rank

Fantasy News

  • Phillies' Whit Merrifield: Gets look at third base

    Merrifield started Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins at third base, something he hasn't done in a regular-season game since 2016. Merrifield may have had another year or two left as an everyday second baseman had he chosen to sign with a non-contender this winter, but his decision to sign with the Phillies means he'll have to prepare for a utility role. Just how often Merrifield finds himself in the lineup may depend primarily on the health and effectiveness of the Phillies' other options. Merrifield should start against most southpaws, in place of either Bryson Stott at second or Brandon Marsh in left field, but if he winds up featuring frequently against righties, it's probably because Johan Rojas played himself out of a starting role in center field. If that were to happen, the likely outcome would be Marsh in center with Merrifield in left in most games. As for the hot corner, that's Alec Bohm's spot, but Merrifield may now be the top backup.
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  • Phillies' Whit Merrifield: Inks deal with Philly

    Merrifield agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an $8 million club option for 2025, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Merrifield may not have an everyday spot in the lineup with his new team, but he should still be able to garner regular playing time between the infield and outfield thanks to his versatility. The 35-year-old played in 145 games for the Blue Jays last season and had a .272/.318/.382 slash line with 11 home runs, 67 RBI, 66 runs and 26 steals. He could see plenty of early action in left field if Brandon Marsh (knee) isn't quite ready for Opening Day.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Absent from Game 1 lineup

    Merrifield is not in the lineup for Tuesday's AL Wild Card Series opener against the Twins, Ben Wagner of Sportsnet Radio reports. Given his usage down the stretch of the regular season, it's not a surprise to see Merrifield begin this one on the bench. The Blue Jays are opting for Cavan Biggio at second base, Daulton Varsho in left field and Kevin Kiermaier in center.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Added to lineup Wednesday

    Merrifield was added to the lineup for Wednesday's game at Yankee Stadium. Merrifield will play second base and bat sixth with Cavan Biggio shifting over to first base. Spencer Horwitz is now serving as the Blue Jays' designated hitter after Vladimir Guerrero (knee) was a late scratch.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Playing time trending down

    Merrifield is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees. Wednesday's absence marks his sixth in Toronto's past nine games, as Merrifield's .549 OPS since the start of August appears to have caught up to him. Daulton Varsho continues to work as the primary left fielder, while Cavan Biggio has a hot stick while seeing regular at-bats in a utility role.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Out of Tuesday's lineup

    Merrifield is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.careports. Merrifield is 3-for-32 in his past nine games and finds himself on the bench for the third time in Toronto's last four contests. The veteran utility man and Daulton Varsho have been splitting time in left field of late, with both players have struggled in September with a sub-.700 OPS.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Rejoins lineup Wednesday

    Merrifield (groin) is starting in left field and batting fifth against the Rangers on Wednesday. The 34-year-old sat out the previous two games with groin tightness but will return to the starting nine Wednesday versus Texas lefty Jordan Montgomery. Merrifield is mired in a 1-for-20 slump and has seen his playing time against right-handed pitchers slip, with Davis Schneider handling a larger role at second base.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Dealing with groin tightness

    Merrifield, who is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers, is dealing with left groin tightness, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Per Davidi, Merrifield is likely available off the bench. He may not have started anyway against tough righty Max Scherzer, as Merrifield has seen his playing time slip against same-handed pitching.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Sitting again against RHP

    Merrifield is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Rangers. It seems that Merrifield has fallen into the short side of a platoon, as this will be Merrifield's third straight game sitting against a righty. He last started against a righty Sept. 8.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Heads to bench

    Merrifield will sit Saturday against Kansas City. Merrifield hits the bench after going 0-for-4 in each of his last four games. Davis Schneider starts at second base Saturday while Daulton Varsho starts in left field, the two spots Merrifield has split his time between this season.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Three hits, stolen base in win

    Merrifield went 3-for-5 with an RBI double, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 13-9 win over the Rockies. Merrifield singled and stole second base off Chris Flexen in the top of the second inning before he ripped an RBI double off Brent Suter in the top of the seventh, driving in Alejandro Kirk in the process. The stolen base was Merrifield's 25th of the year and second in as many games. After a hot stretch from the beginning of July until mid-August, he has struggled to a .186 batting average with four extra-base hits over 59 at-bats since Aug. 16. Perhaps Friday's performance can get him back on track.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Heads to bench Sunday

    Merrifield is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians. Merrifield will join fellow veteran Kevin Kiermaier on the bench for the day game, opening up spots at second base and in the outfield for Cavan Biggio and Davis Schneider, respectively. The day off ends a stretch of 16 consecutive starts for Merrifield, who hit .264 with one home run and two stolen bases during that time.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Four hits in win

    Merrifield went 4-for-6 with one double, one RBI, two runs scored and one steal in Sunday's win over the Cubs. Merrifield has now hit safely in six straight contests, with three multi-hit games and a .429 average over that stretch. 2023 has been a resurgent year for the 34-year-old, whose .302 average is his highest since 2019 as a member of the Royals. Merrifield has added 11 home runs, 55 RBI, 53 runs, and 21 stolen bases on the season and is a mainstay at the top of a potent Blue Jays lineup.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Gets day off

    Merrifield is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians. Merrifield will get his first day off since July 1, joining Kevin Kiermaier (elbow), Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal as the Blue Jays' reserve position players for the series opener. With Merrifield resting, Cavan Biggio will enter the lineup at second base while rookie Davis Schneider starts in left field and takes over as the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Big game from top of order

    Merrifield went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 4-1 win over the Angels. After swiping a bag in the sixth inning he took Jose Soriano deep in the seventh, giving Merrifield eight homers and 21 steals on the season to go with his .305/.354/.425 slash line. The 34-year-old moved up to the leadoff spot Friday, with George Springer shifting down to the five hole, and Merrifield could get a long look at the top of the order given his initial success.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Elevated to leadoff spot

    Merrifield is batting leadoff Friday against the Angels, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. Normal leadoff man George Springer has been dropped to the fifth spot in the batting order amidst a slump. Merrifield has earned his ascension to the top of the order by putting up a .968 OPS with five home runs and two stolen bases in July.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Belts seventh homer

    Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Dodgers. His three-run shot off Tony Gonsolin in the fifth inning put the game out of reach and all but wrapped up a series win for the Blue Jays. Merrifield is putting the finishing touches on a huge July, slashing .352/.377/.592 through 19 games with five of his seven homers on the season to go along with two steals, 14 runs and 16 RBI.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Homers, drives in two in win

    Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks. Merrifield singled to lead off the bottom of the second and went on to score the first of two runs for Toronto in the inning. He then came right back in his next at-bat and crushed a hanging changeup from Zac Gallen over the left field wall to lead off the fourth, putting the Blue Jays back on top 3-2. The second baseman has been highly efficient at the plate this month and now has recorded two hits in five of his last seven games. Four of his six home runs on the season have also come in July.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Plates two, adds steal

    Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox. Merrifield opened the scoring with a two-run double in the fourth inning. Tuesday saw him record multiple hits for the first time in his last seven games. The veteran hit .268 in June but faded toward the end of the month. For the season, he's at 19 steals, 32 RBI, 32 runs scored, 17 doubles, two home runs and a .285/.341/.367 slash line through 77 contests.
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  • Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Sitting Saturday

    Merrifield isn't in the Blue Jays' lineup Saturday against the Red Sox, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Merrifield is 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in his last two games and will receive Saturday off to regroup. While Merrifield sits, Cavan Biggio will start at second base and bat eighth, and Daulton Varsho will take over in left field.
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