I think it's a bit much to jump the gun on the Merrifield love. Espinal had himself been hitting better before the injury and he has very good at bats, is reliable to hit and run with, is obviously an excellent defender.
I don't dislike Whit, and I knew he had more in him than what he had shown, I think there was an adjustment period for him. He can still be valuable, but I'm not willing to jump head first on him just yet.
By the way, is there anybody on this team that can bunt? Can Whit? Like, I don't expect to do it often, but there will be one or two times that it could be the difference between winning and losing in a tight playoff game and even our s*** hitters apparently can't do it to save their lives.