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  • Ceddanne Rafaela gets a breather on Friday night
    Ceddanne Rafaela is not in the Red Sox’ starting lineup for Friday night’s showdown against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

    Advice: It looks to be just a routine day of rest for the versatile 23-year-old. David Hamilton will start in his place at shortstop and will bat ninth against veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson on Friday evening. Rotoworld Yesterday, 2:23 pm
     
  • Gets break Friday
    Rafaela is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

    Advice: Rafaela will get a break as Boston kicks off its series against the Cardinals. The second-year major leaguer opened the campaign as the Red Sox's primary center fielder but has mostly played shortstop over the past month. The lineup absence marks his first time on the bench since April 11. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 1:35 pm
     
  • Not in Wednesday's lineup
    Merrill is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Rockies.

    Advice: The Rockies are sending southpaw Austin Gomber to the hill, so Padres manager Mike Shildt decided it would be a good day to give the left-handed-hitting Merrill a breather. Jose Azocar will patrol center field Wednesday. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 10:24 am
    Jackson MerrillSD - SS,OF
    4:15 pm @ATL
    Player Note
     
  • Swipes another bag
    Merrill went 1-for-4 with a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Rockies.

    Advice: Merrill struck out in his first two at-bats before reaching on a fielder's choice in the seventh inning and coming around to score soon thereafter. He added a single and stolen base in the eighth but was left stranded. Merrill has notched three thefts over his past three games and ranks second on San Diego with seven steals on the season. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 9:41 am
    Jackson MerrillSD - SS,OF
    4:15 pm @ATL
    Player Note
     
  • Getting Wednesday off
    Turang is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.

    Advice: The Brewers are facing left-hander Martin Perez in a day game after a night game, so manager Pat Murphy likely viewed Wednesday's contest as an opportune time to give the lefty-hitting Turang a breather. Turang had batted out of the leadoff spot in each of the last seven games, going 8-for-27 (.296 average) with two stolen bases, three RBI and three runs. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 8:46 am
    Brice TurangMIL - 2B,SS
    4:10 pm @HOU
    Player Note
     
  • Swats fourth homer Tuesday
    Rafaela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Rays.

    Advice: It was a roller coaster night for the 23-year-old. Rafaela gave Boston a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning by taking Aaron Civale deep for his fourth long ball of the year, but his throwing error in the top of the 11th nearly gave Tampa Bay the win. The Red Sox were able to tie the game back up in the bottom of the frame, though, in part thanks to Rafaela's sacrifice bunt, before winning it in the 12th. Rafaela has collected a hit in 10 of 12 contests in May, batting .275 (11-for-40) on the month with two doubles and two homers, but his 1:11 BB:K is a warning sign that his numbers could swoon quickly as they did in April (.515 OPS in 26 games.) Rotowire.com Wednesday, 1:07 am
     
  • Rafaela homers in win over Rays
    Ceddanne Rafaela went 1-for-3 with a home run and a sac bunt in a win over the Rays on Tuesday.

    Advice: The 23-year-old got a little bit lucky on a 344-foot home run that was well-hit at 102.5 mph off the bat but would have only been a home run in eight MLB stadiums. However, it continues a solid stretch of production for the rookie who has gone 16-for-52 (.308) over his last 15 games with three home runs, 13 RBI, seven runs, and one steal. He still has 14 strikeouts to just one walk over that span, so his long swing will continue to be an issue for him as he adjusts to MLB pitching, but we’re starting to see some of the fantasy potential shine through, which makes him worthy of an add in deeper formats. Rotoworld Tuesday, 7:27 pm
     
  • Swats third homer
    Merrill went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's loss to Colorado.

    Advice: Merrill was the only Padre with multiple hits in the contest, and his seventh-inning solo shot brought the team to within one run, though it turned out to be the final tally of the game. The rookie has notched consecutive multi-hit performances and has multiple hits in four of his past eight contests overall, so he could be back on the rise following an eight-game stretch from late April to early May during which he went 1-for-23 at the plate. Merrill still has a strong .291/.342/.403 slash line along with three homers, 17 RBI, 18 runs and six stolen bases on the season. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 9:42 am
    Jackson MerrillSD - SS,OF
    4:15 pm @ATL
    Player Note
     
  • Impactful game in win
    Merrill went 3-for-4 with two steals and a run scored in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Dodgers.

    Advice: Merrill tallied at least three hits in a game for the fourth time this season and it was his 11th multi-hit game of his rookie campaign. Merrill hadn't swiped a bag since April 16 but managed to steal and eventually score in the fourth before taking another base in the eighth. He's settled in nicely thus far, slashing .282/.331/.374 with two homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs, six steals and a 10:23 BB:K in 143 plate appearances. Rotowire.com Sunday, 9:00 pm
    Jackson MerrillSD - SS,OF
    4:15 pm @ATL
    Player Note