MLB Player News

Even with a slow start to his season, Evan Longoria ranks seventh among third basemen in standard Head-to-Head leagues and ninth in Rotisserie leagues. Among a relatively weak crop of third basemen, those rankings are not so impressive, but Longoria appears to be well on his way to re-establishing himself as an elite at the position.

Longoria has been missing power for most of this season, as he is slugging just .401, but as his flyball rate has increased in recent weeks, so has his rate of extra-base hits. He has hit a home run and two doubles over his last three games, and over his last 21 games, Longoria has posted a .275/.363/.475 slash line.

The one area where Longoria may not improve much is run production, as the Rays' lineup as a whole has struggled. That could prevent him from scoring or driving in more than 80 runs, and for that reason, I have dropped him from second to fourth in my third baseman rankings.

Stil, with improved plate discipline and no erosion in his contact rate, all Longoria needed was more power to approach his prior form and value. His year-to-date stats are still mediocre, so now is a good time to try to buy Longoria at a discount, before his numbers start to reflect his rebound.

The Athletics dropped slumping third baseman Josh Donaldson to sixth in the batting order Sunday. He's mired in a 2-for-40 skid.

"It's just a little bit of a change of scenery, which you do from time to time just to mix things up," manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com. "I talked to him about it [Saturday] night so he was aware. But he hits two, three and four for us, and it won't be long before he's back."

It was Donaldson's first time batting sixth since Aug. 19, 2013. He went 1 for 4 with an RBI, and is hitting .250 with 17 homers and 51 RBI.

Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe is expected to land on the disabled list Sunday.

Plouffe is dealing with an oblique strain. X-rays came back negative, so the team ruled out any broken ribs. Plouffe is hitting .241/.320/.400 in 245 at-bats.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson was ejected from Saturday's 5-1 win over the Yankees for arguing balls and strikes at the end of the seventh inning after going 0 for 4 at the plate.

Donaldson has been absymal over the last week-plus, going 0 for 29 in his last seven games. After finishing May with a .280/.375/.550 line, the third baseman has now hit .250/.338/.493 with 17 home runs and 50 RBI in 268 at-bats.

X-rays have ruled out broken ribs for Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Plouffe believes he's suffered a bruise or strain in the rib/oblique area. His availability Sunday will depend on how he feels after a night of rest, but he appears unlikely to play. The Twins are expected to make at least one roster move before Sunday's game after suffering multiple injuries Saturday.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 7-3 loss to the Astros Saturday.

Longoria kicked off the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning and added a two-run home run in the fifth. Unfortunately for the Rays, the Astros strung together seven runs in between Longoria's key hits, and the Rays' offense wasn't able to add any more runs after the homer. He has hit .265/.330/.396 with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 268 at-bats.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe was forced out of Saturday's game against the Tigers with a left oblique strain, the MLB.com reports.

Plouffe was replaced by Eduardo Nunez in the fourth inning. He is hitting .241/.320/.400 with five homers and 38 RBI in 245 at-bats. His status remains uncertain for Sunday's series finale against the Tigers.

A three-hit Friday night has Orioles third baseman Manny Machado back to the second hole in the lineup for the Saturday game against Toronto.

Machado singled twice and doubled against the Blue Jays to break a 1-for-20 slide. He had batted seventh in the previous three games.

Royals infielder Danny Valencia is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Sunday, the Kansas City Star reports. Valencia will only need a few games before returning from the disabled list, according to the paper.

The Athletics have given slumping third baseman Josh Donaldson the night off for their Wednesday night game against the host Angels.

Donaldson, who told the media before the game that he wouldn't mind the break, is hitless in his last 21 at-bats to drop his average from .284 to .260.