by Matthew Terelle | Royals Correspondent | Sun, Sep 13th 7:51am EDT.

If Merrifield and Soler are no more, this offense is going to have a hard time scoring runs not only this year, but next year and in 2022 as well. While Merrifield has already accrued 11 outfield appearances this season, he hasn’t played there since April 11. Highlighting this week’s edition of KC Royals Midweek Musings are a COVID-19 update, news about former Royals here and abroad, and other baseball odds and ends. He was chased by Whit Merrifield and Maikel Franco home runs. Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals is congratulated by Jorge Soler #12 after scoring a run against the Oakland Athletics during the ninth inning at the RingCentral Coliseum on September 16, 2019 in Oakland, California. Merrifield has had yet another impressive season for the Royals. Merrifield is signed through 2023, and the Royals would have to be overwhelmed to move him despite the fact that the rest of the roster is on sale.

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. In this edition of KC Royals Midweek Musings, we’re talking Whit Merrifield, player updates, former Royals and more. Merrifield swiped his eight bag of the season and logged his third-consecutive multi-hit game. Pirates, Red Sox, Mariners, to be sellers at MLB trade deadline?

Kansas City Royals Whit Merrifield makes a catch on a ball off the bat of St. Louis Cardinals Paul DeJong in the third inning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.

JD Martinez sounds off about Boston's poor play, Red Sox president: No players considered 'untouchable'.

Merrifield was named as a reserve to the American League squad in a process determined by both a player’s vote and input from the Commissioner’s office. Unfortunately, the Royals were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring positions and left 10 men on base during Tuesday's showing. He also stole a base. Pirates star Josh Bell is quite shifty for a first baseman, and is quicker than most that play his position, which he showed during Tuesday’s game against the Royals. The Royals are nearing a four-year contract extension with second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports. They happen to everybody... All you can do is learn from it and move on.".

Will the Phillies pursue a reunion with Jake Diekman? The Cubs are showing “continued interest” in Royals’ second baseman/outfielder Whit Merrifield, reports Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Network.

Soler isn’t quite on last year’s 48-homer pace, yet he’s nonetheless a dangerous slugger with control through 2021. Trevor Rosenthal would make a lot of sense for the Reds, but maybe they try to get both him and Merrifield to really push the scale in their favor.