Merrifield, who is batting eighth and starting in center field Thursday at Minnesota, told reporters he has been vaccinated and will be able to travel with the Blue Jays when the team returns to Canada, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 33-year-old will start in center field in his first game with the Blue Jays while George Springer (elbow) serves as the designated hitter, but the former should be expected to see most of his playing time at the keystone. Merrifield was unable to travel with the Royals for the four-game series in Toronto just before the All-Star break, but he's since been vaccinated and will be able to enter Canada when the team returns for a six-game homestand next Friday. He has a .240/.290/.352 slash line with six home runs, 42 RBI and 15 stolen bases through 95 games this season.