Toronto Blue Jays

Whit Merrifield can play for the Toronto Blue Jays when they open their homestand next Friday as he's fully vaccinated against COVID-19, he told reporters Thursday.

If the second baseman did not get vaccinated, he wouldn't have been eligible to participate in Toronto's home games because of Canada's vaccine requirements.

The Kansas City Royals sent Merrifield to the Blue Jays ahead of MLB's trade deadline Tuesday in exchange for right-hander Max Castillo and minor league infielder Samad Taylor.

Merrifield joined the Blue Jays on Thursday ahead of their four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. He is in Thursday's lineup, batting eighth and playing center field, per Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star.

The 33-year-old told reporters last month that he would consider getting vaccinated if it meant playing for a team that could face Toronto in the playoffs.

"I understand what Canada has in place right now. That’s the only reason that I would think about getting it at this point is to go to Canada. That might change down the road. Something happens, and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason, maybe that changes."

However, Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider told reporters Wednesday that the team would not require the veteran to get the shot.

"Obviously we know he wasn’t there in Toronto, but totally up to him," Schneider said. "And I’m sure that he’s had conversations with his family and other people. So, you know, we’re leaving that decision up to him."

Merrifield is having a down season, hitting .240/.290/.352 with six home runs, 42 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 95 games. However, he's a nice depth addition for the Blue Jays, who will likely use his versatility to play him both at second base and in the outfield.

Merrifield spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Royals, earning two All-Star selections. He agreed to a four-year extension in 2019 and is under contract through the 2023 season with a mutual option for 2024, per Spotrac.

Toronto enters Thursday's game against the Twins second in the AL East with a 58-46 record, 11 games behind the New York Yankees. The club has a three-game lead in the wild-card race.

The Blue Jays have a 97 percent chance to make the playoffs, per FanGraphs.

Amid injury concerns for George Springer, the Toronto Blue Jays are seeking to upgrade their outfield prior to the trade deadline.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Blue Jays are interested in Chicago Cubs' All-Star Ian Happ in part because of his ability to play center field.

Springer sat out Toronto's win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday with an elbow injury. The four-time All-Star told reporters on July 22 he's "going to have to fight through stuff all year."

The expectation has been Happ and Willson Contreras will be traded by the Cubs prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. Both players basically said goodbye to fans at Wrigley Field during Chicago's July 26 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates before the team went on a road trip that ends on Friday.

The Cubs have no reason to keep either player since they are in the early stages of rebuilding their farm system. Contreras is eligible for free agency after this season.

Happ could net the team a significant return in a trade by virtue of having one more year of team control in 2023 before he can become a free agent.

Springer has not been placed on the injured list, but the Blue Jays could make him their primary designated hitter to ease some of the burden on his body. He had imaging done on his ailing elbow on July 22.

After sitting out Toronto's first three games following the All-Star break, Springer returned to the lineup on July 26. He sat out two of the team's three games against the Detroit Tigers over the weekend.

Happ has been an incredibly versatile player for the Cubs over the past six seasons. The 27-year-old has started games in left field, center field and DH in 2022. He also has experience playing right field, first base, second base and third base.

In addition to his positional versatility, Happ is having a strong season with the bat. He is hitting .279/.360/.436 with 36 extra-base hits and 46 RBI in 99 games with the Cubs.

The Blue Jays (57-45) are a distant second place in the American League East, 12 games behind the New York Yankees. They do have a three-game advantage over the Tampa Bay Rays for the top wild-card spot.

Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer exited Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers after suffering an injury to his elbow.

According to Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star, the injury occurred during Springer's at-bat in the eighth inning and he didn't come back out for the ninth. He had gone 1-for-5 with a run prior to exiting.

Springer has dealt with some injuries already this season. He missed two games at the start of June with a non-COVID-19 illness.

During the Blue Jays' 7-6 loss to the Chicago White Sox on June 21, Springer was lifted for a pinch hitter because of elbow discomfort. He was held out of the lineup for their series finale against the White Sox the next day to undergo more tests.

When Springer has played this season, he's been a productive hitter at the top of Toronto's batting order. The three-time All-Star has a .255/.332/.475 slash line with 18 homers and 47 RBI over 326 at-bats.

The Blue Jays haven't lived up to expectations this season, though their 46-42 record has them in the wild-card mix. Manager Charlie Montoyo was fired by the club on July 13, with bench coach John Schneider taking over on an interim basis.

Toronto does hold the the lead for a wild-card spot in the AL entering Thursday. Springer's prolonged absence would leave a huge void in the Blue Jays lineup and outfield.

Bradley Zimmer is capable of handling things defensively in center field if Springer has to miss time. Cavan Biggio could see more at-bats at designated hitter to provide more offensive punch until Springer is able to return.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran responded to criticism about why he didn't try to retrieve a misplayed ball off the bat of Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Raimel Tapia, which turned into an inside-the-park grand slam Friday night.

Duran explained he initially couldn't find the ball in the air, which he called "the most hopeless feeling you could ever feel," and then saw Alex Verdugo racing over from left field.

"I just lost it in the twilight," Duran told reporters. "It happens. [Verdugo] was right there. Obviously, I should have taken a step or two. He was already going to beat me to the ball. I just didn't want to get in his way. ... Next time, I know to take one or two steps."

It was one forgettable moment in a night full of them for the Red Sox as the Blue Jays rolled to a 28-5 blowout win at Fenway Park.

Tapia actually stood at home plate showing frustration for a few seconds thinking he'd popped out to end the inning and the bases-loaded threat, and he still managed to round the bases without a close play at the plate, illustrating how wild the play was.

"It was very, very emotional," Tapia said. "That's the way we are. We celebrate everything here. We were very happy about it. It was just great, that celebration in the dugout."

MLB's Sarah Langs noted it was the first inside-the-park grand slam since Michael A. Taylor accomplished the feat with the Washington Nationals in September 2017. Taylor now plays for the Kansas City Royals.

The 28 runs represented a franchise record for the Blue Jays, surpassing the previous mark of 24 set in June 1978. They finished the game with 29 hits, also a new franchise high, and five walks.

"Hopefully, there's a little bit of rollover into tomorrow," manager John Schneider said. "Obviously, the guys are comfortable, and hitting can be contagious. You just ride the wave a little bit. It's obviously an outlier night, but you take it and run with it."

Toronto is going to need its offense to carry the load in the season's second half. It holds the third and final wild-card spot in the American League with a 51-43 record, but there are four teams within 4.5 games as part of the crowded AL playoff race.

Boston (48-46) is one of the clubs in the chasing pack, but the highly competitive nature of the AL East with the recent rise of the Baltimore Orioles will make it tough on all of the division's five teams, including the MLB-leading New York Yankees (65-30), down the stretch.

The good news for the Red Sox is they don't have to wait long for a chance to wash away the memories from Friday night as the teams are right back in action at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday for the second matchup of the three-game series.

Kutter Crawford (2-2, 4.50 ERA) and the rest of the Boston staff will look to slow down the Blue Jays offense. Alek Manoah (10-4, 2.28) takes the mound for Toronto.

Friday's game between the Blue Jays and Red Sox couldn't have gone any worse for Boston, but it was a record-setting evening for Toronto.

The Blue Jays set a new franchise record for runs in a game with 25 runs in five innings during Friday's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The Blue Jays tacked on two more runs by the sixth inning to take a 27-5 lead. The 27 runs are tied for the most runs the Red Sox have given up in a game. Boston had not let up 27 runs since July 7, 1923 against Cleveland.

It was a wild night for the Red Sox.

Every pitcher gave up more runs than they recorded outs as Toronto's bats came out of the All-Star break on fire.

Bo Bichette hit an RBI in the first inning before Matt Chapman blasted a two-run shot in the second. In the third inning, Toronto continued to get hits before the Red Sox allowed an inside-the-park grand slam to Raimel Tapia after Jarren Duran lost the ball as it dropped.

At that point, the Blue Jays had a 10-0 lead over Boston.

In the fourth inning, Teoscar Hernandez hit a solo home run and Danny Jansen added a three-run blast to make the score 14-0.

The onslaught only continued into the fifth inning as the Blue Jays tacked on 11 more runs, highlighted by a Chapman routine fly-ball that should have been caught but dropped in between three Red Sox players.

The Red Sox eventually tacked on three runs, but Toronto already called game at that point.

Toronto entered Friday's game third in the AL East with a 50-43 record while Boston dropped to fourth in the division with a 48-45 record. The Red Sox are now in danger of falling to last place in the division as the Baltimore Orioles own a 46-46 record.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Santiago Espinal will take the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve's place in Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game.

Espinal, who is headed to the Midsummer Classic for the first time, sports a .271 batting average with six home runs and 37 RBI.

Altuve is day-to-day with a left leg contusion after he was hit by a pitch Thursday. He was slated to start the game, which is set for Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium.

The Cleveland Guardians' Andres Gimenez, who was named as a reserve, will start at second.

Numerous All-Stars will not play because of injuries, including Blue Jays center fielder George Springer, Astros designated hitter-left fielder Yordan Alvarez and Philadelphia Phillies DH Bryce Harper.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, Boston Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez and Miami Marlins first baseman-DH Garrett Cooper had already been named as replacements.

The AL has won 20 of the last 24 All-Star Games, including the last eight, to take a 46-43-2 lead over the NL.

AL East players compose a big chunk of this year's AL team. Two of Espinal's teammates (catcher Alejandro Kirk and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) will start, and staff ace Alek Manoah is also headed to L.A.

The first-place New York Yankees have six All-Stars, including two starters in outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will air on Fox.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is an All-Star for the third time in his career.

MLB announced Thursday that Seager was added to the American League roster to replace Toronto Blue Jays center fielder George Springer, who will be inactive for Tuesday's All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reported that Springer will use the All-Star break to rest. He exited a game June 21 after experiencing right elbow discomfort.

Seager is in his first season with the Rangers after spending the first seven years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He earned All-Star selections in 2016 and 2017 and helped lead the Dodgers to a World Series title in 2020, earning Fall Classic MVP honors. He was also the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year.

Texas signed Seager to a 10-year, $325 million deal after last season. In 84 games this season, the 28-year-old is slashing .245/.321/.467 with 21 home runs and 48 RBI. He has the most home runs by a Rangers shortstop before the All-Star break since Alex Rodriguez in 2003.

Seager was named AL Player of the Week on Monday after batting .500 (11-for-22) with a 1.601 OPS and four home runs last week. It was the second time in his career that he earned Player of the Week honors; the previous instance came in 2019.

Despite Seager's success at the plate, the Rangers were 41-45 entering Thursday's game against the Seattle Mariners, which marks the start of their last series before the All-Star break.

The Kansas City Royals will be without All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi and nine other players for their upcoming series against the Toronto Blue Jays because they are unvaccinated for COVID-19.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Wednesday that Benintendi, Whit Merrifield, M.J. Melendez, Hunter Dozier, Brad Keller, Brady Singer, Michael A. Taylor, Kyle Isbel, Dylan Coleman and Cam Gallagher are ineligible to enter the country.

Canada requires nearly all people over the age of 18 to be vaccinated to enter the country. While there are some exceptions which require testing and a 14-day quarantine, MLB players do not qualify and have been forced to sit out games in Toronto throughout the 2022 season.

The Royals have by far the highest concentration of unvaccinated players so far this season. There had been only 25 players combined from all visiting teams traveling to Toronto not allowed to enter the country before Kansas City players are added to the list. No other team had more than four players added to the list.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious outcomes. The virus has seen an increase in cases in recent weeks due to BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

Vaccine efficacy aside, MLB players who remain unvaccinated are impacting their teams' chances of winning. Kansas City will go into Toronto with a grab bag of players plucked from Triple-A and Double-A just to get them through the series. While the 35-53 Royals were not in playoff contention, there's no question the vaccinated players on the roster are being put at a significant disadvantage.

Players who are unvaccinated and are forced to miss games forgo their salary and service time for the games missed.

The Toronto Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo on Wednesday and named bench coach John Schneider as the interim manager.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported the news of Montoyo's dismissal.

The Blue Jays are fourth in the American League East at 46-42, 15.5 games back of the first-place New York Yankees. Still, Montoyo's ouster comes as a surprise with the team in possession of the third AL wild-card spot.

Toronto is looking to arrest its slide after dropping nine of 11 games, narrowing its lead on the Seattle Mariners for the final wild-card spot to half a game. The Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians are only two games behind.

FanGraphs gives the Blue Jays an 82.5 percent chance of reaching the playoffs.

Wednesday's move may be partially because the franchise missed the postseason in 2021.

The Seattle Times' Ryan Divish also reported Blue Jays players seemed to have soured on Montoyo and "were done with him."

More than anything, Montoyo could have been a victim of the fact that a coaching change was the easiest lever for Toronto to pull. You can't transform the roster, so a different voice in the dugout might bring different results.

The Philadelphia Phillies went on a surge after firing Joe Girardi on June 3. They were 22-29 when he departed and now sit at 46-42.

The Blue Jays might have a similar bump with Schneider.

The Los Angeles Angels represent the opposite end of the spectrum. They jettisoned Joe Maddon when their fortunes turned downward dramatically but discovered things can get worse under a new manager.

Based on the timing, moving on from Montoyo will look like either a masterstroke or a case of midseason panic from the front office.