35 Oscar Mercado CF

Mercado went 5-for-5 with a double, two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored Friday night against the Royals.

The Royals were unable to keep Mercado off the basepaths in the series opener, as he delivered an RBI double to left in the third inning followed by an RBI single to left in the sixth. He's now 11-for-26 with three home runs and eight RBI in eight games since the All-Star break, so he's evidently seeing the baseball well to kick off the second half.

Mercado went 1-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base and a two-run home run Tuesday against the Tigers.

For the second consecutive night, Mercado delivered both a home run and stolen base. His production began in the first frame when he stole his eighth base of the season. Just one inning later, he took Ryan Carpenter deep for his seventh homer of the season. After looking out of the sorts at the plate to begin July, Mercado has come alive for the Indians' first two games against Detroit and is now hitting .286/.340/.470 across 204 plate appearances for the season.

Mercado went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs and a stolen base in Monday's 8-6 win over the Tigers.

Mercado hadn't gone deep or swiped a bag since mid-June so he broke both droughts in one game. The rookie outfielder has six homers and seven stolen bases with a .785 OPS in his first 200 career plate appearances.

Mercado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

The recent All-Star break didn't prove to be the solution to Mercado's recent woes at the plate, as he went 1-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts while starting the first two games of the series. Mercado, who is off to a 1-for-25 start to June, still looks decently secure in his everyday role, though he could cede occasional starts to Greg Allen while he works through the slump.

Mercado is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.

The speedy rookie will take a seat in the Indians' final game before the All-Star break while Greg Allen checks in as the Tribe's center fielder. Mercado has gone 0-for-18 while starting the Indians' past four games, dropping his season average from .314 to .281.

Mercado will start in center field and bat second Thursday against the Royals.

The rookie has gone hitless in nine at-bats over the first two games of the series, but he looks like he'll remain locked in as the club's No. 2 hitter while maintaining a solid .296/.345/.451 slash line through his first 177 plate appearances in the majors. He'll at least benefit from a plus matchup in the series finale with righty Homer Bailey (4.87 ERA, 1.40 WHIP in 17 starts this season) on the mound for Kansas City.

Mercado went 2-for-5 with a triple, a walk, two stolen bases and three runs scored Tuesday against the Rangers.

Mercado made an immediate impact on the contest, hitting his first major-league triple in the first inning against Adrian Sampson. He also contributed on the basepaths, stealing both second and third base in the fourth inning. He now has six stolen bases for the season and has paired that with an impressive .308/.362/.495 line across 118 plate appearances.

Mercado went 3-for-4 with a double, four RBI, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored Sunday against the Tigers.

Mercado accounted for half of Cleveland's offensive attack in the series finale, plating one run in the third, two in the fourth and another in the sixth on a double to left field. The 24-year-old has now registered three straight multi-hit performances, raising his batting average to .306 over 26 games this season.

Mercado went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in an 8-4 victory against the Yankees on Saturday.

For the second time in three days, Mercado has gone deep. He's on a modest four-game hitting streak, but behind that run, his average is back to .300. Mercado has seven extra-base hits, including three homers, seven RBI, 17 runs and two steals in 70 major-league at-bats this season.

Mercado is not in the lineup Thursday against the Twins, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Mercado will take a seat on the bench after starting the past four games and going just 2-for-15 (.133) with a 1:4 BB:K during that stretch. In his absence, the Indians will go with an outfield consisting of Jordan Luplow, Leonys Martin and Tyler Naquin from left to right.

Mercado isn't starting Friday's game against the White Sox, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Mercado is set for an off day after starting each of Cleveland's last five contests. Jake Bauers gets the nod in left field and will bat sixth with Mercado on the bench.

Mercado went 2-for-4 with a walk, two stolen bases and three runs Monday in the Indians' 12-5 loss to the Red Sox.

After briefly missing time with a hip contusion, Mercado has been stellar upon returning to the lineup the past two days as the Indians' No. 2 hitter. The rookie recorded four hits and has scored four times between the contests and put his high-end speed on display Tuesday with the first two steals of his career. The Indians are desperate to find impact hitters to support co-stars Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, so Mercado should have ample opportunity to solidify his spot in the top half of the lineup.

Mercado went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 6-3 loss against the Rays on Sunday.

The 24-year-old is 8-for-23 (.348) in the last seven games, but the best personal milestone Mercado reached Sunday was hitting his first career major-league homer. Four of his eight MLB hits have now gone for extra bases. Mercado is 8-for-27 (.296) with a homer, four RBI and six runs in nine games this season.

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.

Mercado (hip) will sit for the second straight game Saturday against the Rays, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Mercado collided with Leonys Martin in the outfield Thursday and was forced to leave with a hip contusion. He did not appear in any capacity Friday. Greg Allen will get the start in left field Saturday.

Mercado (hip) is not in the lineup Friday against the Rays, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Mercado left Thursday's game with a hip contusion after colliding with Leonys Martin in the outfield. It's unclear when Cleveland expects him to return. Jake Bauers moves out to left field Friday, with Eric Haase serving as the designated hitter.

Mercado was forced to leave Thursday's game against the Rays with a right hip contusion, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Mercado suffered the injury in an outfield collision with Leonys Martin. He remained in the game initially and singled in his next at-bat but was removed for a pinch runner after reaching second base. The diagnosis of a contusion appears to suggest that his absence won't be long, though the Indians have yet to announce his expected return date.

Mercado exited Thursday's game against the Rays following a collision in the outfield, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Mercado and Leonys Martin crashed into each other while diving for a ball. Both players remained in the game initially, but Mercado was removed after hitting a single in his next at-bat. The nature and severity of his injury is unclear, but the issue would seem to be in his hip or groin based on where Martin ran into him.

Mercado will start in right field and bat seventh Wednesday against the Athletics.

After starting in his MLB debut last week, Mercado's role with the big club looked somewhat uncertain after he was benched for the subsequent two contests. Fortunately for those that scooped him up in fantasy leagues, Mercado's playing-time outlook seems to have stabilized, as he'll pick up a fifth straight start Wednesday after going 5-for-13 with three doubles over the prior four contests. The Indians also designated Carlos Gonzalez for assignment prior to the series finale, clearing the way for Mercado and Jordan Luplow to man the corner-outfield spots on a regular basis until Tyler Naquin (calf) and/or Bradley Zimmer (side) return from the injured list.

Mercado went 2-for-3 with a double, walk, two runs and an RBI in Sunday's 10-0 win over the Orioles.

Utilized as a bench player in two of his first three games with the big club, Mercado rejoined lineup for the series finale and made a good case for sticking as an everyday player. The 24-year-old showed his full range of skills and would have chipped in a stolen base had he not slid off second base and gotten tagged. At the very least, the right-handed Mercado should pick up another start in Monday's series opener against the Athletics with a lefty (Brett Anderson) on the hill for the opposition.