Merrifield will start at second base and lead off Monday against the Astros, Julia Morales of Root Sports Southwest reports.

EDGE Analysis

After extending his hitting streak to 19 games with a trio of singles Sunday against the Indians, Merrifield will be rewarded with a move up in the lineup. He'll jump from the sixth spot to the leadoff position, bumping Alcides Escobar down to the bottom third of the order.

Merrifield went 3-for-4, raising his average to .307, in Sunday's 8-0 loss to the Indians.

EDGE Analysis

Merrifield is riding a 19-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors this season. Since May 13, the second baseman is 27-for-66 (.409) with three home runs, nine RBI, 10 runs and four stolen bases. After not making the Opening Day roster, Merrifield is now making a case to represent the Royals on the AL All-Star team.

Merrifield is reaping the benefits of a strict diet that helped him put on 25 pounds of muscle and added bulk to his frame, SB Nation reports.

EDGE Analysis

Merrifield went on an insane diet -- one that required multiple workouts and seven meals per day -- prior to the 2016 season. It's reasonable to assume the massive body transformation caused Merrifield to go through an adjustment period last year; however, it all seems to be coming together for the 28-year-old in 2017. He's hitting the ball harder than ever -- in fact, Merrifield's hard-hit contact rate is greater than Royals' sluggers Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer. The second baseman's .484 slugging percentage and .190 ISO are far beyond his career numbers at any level.

Merrifield went 3-for-4 with two RBI from a triple and solo home run in Monday's 10-7 loss to the Tigers. He also doubled and scored three runs overall.

EDGE Analysis

Merrifield was a thorn in the side of Tigers pitching throughout the night and was responsible for the Royals' first two runs via his 401-foot solo shot in the third and RBI triple in the fourth. The 28-year-old now boasts a 14-game hitting streak, a stretch that's included six multi-hit efforts, three homers and six RBI. While Merrifield has actually seen a drop in hard contact from April's 41.9 percent to 31.5 percent in May, his line drive rate has nearly doubled (12.9 percent to 24.6 percent), which has helped his BABIP shoot up from last month's .207 to .338.

Merrifield went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs during Thursday's win over Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

It was just the third home run of the season for Merrifield, and the second baseman currently sports a .217/.276/.377 slash line for the campaign. He's playing regularly, and there is value in full-time at-bats in deep settings, but Merrifield will need to show more at the dish before he's a serviceable option in the majority of seasonal leagues.

Merrifield is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Merrifield's performance at the plate has been awful lately. Over the last seven games he's gone just 4-for-28 (.143) and struck out 11 times. His recent troubles have brought his line down to .197/.250/.318 for the season. Cheslor Cuthbert will start in place of Merrifield on Wednesday.

Merrifield will start at second base and bat sixth in the order Monday against the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

In an effort to shake up the lineup after the Royals were limited to one hit in Sunday's loss to the Indians, manager Ned Yost has decided to drop Merrifield five spots in the order. Given the lack of appealing alternatives at the top of the lineup, it's not out of the question for Merrifield to eventually reclaim leadoff duties, but he may have to offer more production at the plate in subsequent contests before moving up. Merrifield is batting .143/.196/.214 over his last 11 games.

Merrifield is out of the lineup Monday against the White Sox, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Merrifield displaced the struggling Raul Mondesi as the Royals' primary second baseman in mid-April, but he's been unable to provide the team's hapless offense with much of a spark. The 28-year-old is slashing .229/.308/.457 since his promotion to the big club, but with seemingly no better alternatives in sight, he should still have some decent job security. Christian Colon will spell Merrifield at the keystone Monday, however.

Merrifield will start at second base and occupy the leadoff spot for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Alex Gordon struggling to provide much of an impact at the top of the order, manager Ned Yost will give Merrifield a look in the leadoff spot, though it's unclear if the experiment will last more than one game. Even if Merrifield is moved down in the order in subsequent contests, he at least seems to have a steady hold on the everyday gig at second base with Raul Mondesi having been banished to Triple-A Omaha. Through five games since he was promoted to the big leagues, Merrifield has gone 5-for-15 with a homer, stolen base and two RBI.

Merrifield got the start in right field Tuesday and hit eighth, going 2-for-3 with two walks and a solo home run in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

With Jorge Soler (oblique) still on the mend, Merrifield could find a regular home in right field in the short term. Raul Mondesi is slashing just .114/1.62/.200 through 13 games, though, so second base could be where Merrifield sees most of his playing time before the season is over.