Juan Soto celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 9-1 win over the Rays on Monday in New York. Seth Wenig/Associated Press

NEW YORK — Juan Soto hit two of the five home runs Monday for the New York Yankees, who salvaged a four-game series split with a 9-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Soto had his fourth multi-homer game this season since coming over in a December trade and 21st of his career, tying him with Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews for the second-most by anyone 25 years old or younger. He hit a solo homer into the third deck in right field in the seventh inning, added a three-run homer in the eighth and has 25 on the season.

Soto blasted his 24th homer into a suite above the second deck down the right-field line and took a 37.7-second trot after hitting a 424-foot shot to right. He briefly stared at the ball, dropped the bat, raised his right hand between first and second, and did a little step at third.

“I’m just trying to make sure it was a fair ball,” Soto said. “I was literally pulling with everything that I have to stay fair. It was fun to see it and I definitely got a hold (of it).”

Soto went 11 for 18 in the series, including a four-hit game Friday.

“That first one was really far and then the second one was really hard,” New York starter Carlos Rodón said. “So a little treat of both, high launch and low launch. Just a great hitter, a great player.”

DJ LeMahieu, Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe also homered as the Yankees tied a season high by hitting five homers for the second time this season.

Rodón (10-7) earned his first win since June 10. He allowed one run and two hits, and struck out 10 in seven innings.

“Just a steady mix of everything, getting ahead, attacking the strike zone,” Rodón said.

LeMahieu ended an 0-for-18 slide with his first homer in 10 months.

BRAVES: Atlanta made two moves to replace injured second baseman Ozzie Albies, recalling infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. from Triple-A Gwinnett and signing veteran Whit Merrifield.

Only minutes into his first workout, Merrifield joined Atlanta’s imposing injury list. Merrifield, 35, took a ball off his finger while taking infield practice. X-rays were negative and he is listed as day to day.

“You can’t make it up,” said Manager Brian Snitker.

The Braves said after Sunday’s 6-2 loss to St. Louis that Albies is expected to miss about eight weeks with a fractured left wrist. The team hopes Albies, who was placed on the 10-day injured list, avoids surgery.

ROCKIES: Right-hander German Marquez was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, eight days after his first major league start since Tommy John surgery.

Marquez had the elbow operation on May 12, 2023. He returned July 14, when he started and allowed three runs in four innings in the Rockies’ 8-5 win over the New York Mets, but then felt tightness in his forearm during a bullpen session after the All-Star break.

“German’s arm just didn’t bounce back from the start in New York,” Manager Bud Black said. “It stems from his last (rehab) game in Hartford and his game in New York, where his pitch count got up and the intensity was raised.”

Marquez, who threw 70 pitches against the Mets, will be shut down for several days.

MARINERS: First baseman Ty France said was surprised to find out he had been put on waivers after hitting .223 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 88 games.

“A little caught off guard,” France said. “But I mean, I understand at the end of the day it’s a business. I’m not performing to the best of my ability, so anything could happen.”

MLB teams have 48 hours to claim France and add him to their roster, and pay him the rest of his one-year, $6.775 million contract. If he goes unclaimed, the Mariners could designate France for assignment and outright him to Triple-A Tacoma, or leave him on the active roster.

As a player with more than five years of MLB service time, France can refuse to go to Triple-A and become a free agent. At that point the Mariners would pay the remainder of his salary, and a team that picks him up could pay him the pro-rated major league minimum.

• Center fielder Julio Rodríguez was out of the starting lineup after leaving Sunday’s game in the sixth inning with a sprained right ankle, and was still considered “day to day.”

DODGERS: Los Angeles made a surprising change to their evolving rotation.

James Paxton was designated for assignment to make room for River Ryan on the 40-man roster. Ryan made his major league debut Monday night against the San Francisco Giants, becoming the 14th pitcher to start for the Dodgers this season.

Paxton was tied with Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasnow for most starts on the team with 18. The veteran left-hander was 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA.

The 35-year-old Paxton signed a $7 million, one-year contract during the offseason. He allowed two runs over five innings in Sunday’s 9-6 victory against the Boston Red Sox.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said with the return of Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw from injuries this week along with some young arms the Dodgers want to look at, it was tough finding a fit for Paxton the rest of the way.