Merrifield and the Blue Jays both declined his mutual option for the 2024 season Thursday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
The option was worth $18 million, so it's little surprise the team is willing to move on given that Merrifield lost playing down the final stretch. He'll be entering his age-35 season, so Merrifield could be looking for a final payday. He maintained a .700 OPS with 11 home runs and 26 steals across 592 plate appearances in 2023.
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Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Absent from Game 1 lineup
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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: Playing time trending down
Rotowire
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: Added to lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
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: Out of Tuesday's lineup
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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: Taking seat Sunday
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Merrifield is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.
Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier and Cavan Biggio will start across the outfield for the Blue Jays as Davis Schneider handles second base. Merrifield went 1-for-5 with a walk and an RBI in Toronto's win Saturday versus Boston.
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Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Not in lineup Friday
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Merrifield is not in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox.
Merrifield missed some time earlier this week due to left groin tightness, but he should be available off the bench for the Blue Jays in Friday's series opener versus Boston. Cavan Biggio is starting at second base and Daulton Varsho will play left field, while Davis Schneider is serving as Toronto's designated hitter.
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Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Rejoins lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
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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: Not in Monday's lineup
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Merrifield is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.
Merrifield recorded a hit Sunday, but he also went just 1-for-19 (.053) over his last five games, so he will be held out for the second time in three days. Davis Schneider will man the keystone for the Blue Jays on Tuesday night.
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Blue Jays' Whit Merrifield: Heads to bench
Rotowire
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
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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
Rotowire
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.
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
Rotowire
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.
