MLB Player News

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and Reds third baseman Todd Frazier survived tiebreaking swing-offs in the first round before eventually meeting in the finals of Monday's Home Run Derby, where Cespedes picked up his second straight title with a 9-1 knockout of Frazier.

Cespedes' three first-round homers earned him a swingoff with Athletics teammate Josh Donaldson, and after Donaldson managed just one home run three swings, the outfielder delivered homers in each of his first two swings to advance. He defeated Orioles outfielder Adam Jones 9-3 in the second round after Jones managed four first-round shots, then took down Jose Bautista, who had a competition-best 10 homers in the first round, by a score of 7-4 in the AL Final. Twins home-field competitor Brian Dozier hit just two home runs in the first round, failing to advance.

Frazier played the role of underdog throughout, hitting just two home runs as the first batter in the competition but managing to slide into a swing-off with Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau after Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig failed to hit a single home run before recording seven outs. Frazier went first in the swing-off and managed one home run in three swings but advanced after Morneau went 0 for 3. The Reds third baseman took down Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki 6-2 after Tulowitzki hit four first-round homers. Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton earned a bye after hitting six massive blasts in the first round, but he bowed out to Frazier 1-0 after a long break.

Cespedes joined Ken Griffey as the only players to win back-to-back Home Run Derby titles. He'll likely enter the 2015 competition as the favorite to make it three in a row.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar cranked out three hits in his team's win over the Rockies in Colorado on Sunday.

Escobar doubled in two runs in the opening frame and added two singled. He finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI in a 13-5 victory. It was his third three-hit game of the season and his first since June 6. He enters the break with a .271/.313/.404 slash line with three homers and 21 RBI in 255 at-bats.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe posted his second three-hit game since returning from the disabled list, in a 13-5 win over the Rockies in Colorado on Sunday.

Plouffe doubled in the opening frame, tripled in the fifth and recorded a single in the seventh inning. He fell a home run shy of a cycle and finished 3 for 5 with three runs scored. He owns a .245/.317/.409 slash line with six homers and 42 RBI in 298 at-bats.

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar went 2 for 5 with a solo home run in his team's 9-3 win over the Rockies Saturday.

Escobar has put together back-to-back multihit efforts after going 0 for 15 in his previous four games. Prior to this two-game stretch, the shortstop's last multihit performance came back on June 15. He has hit .263/.303/.394 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 251 at-bats.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson celebrated being named to the Home Run Derby by launching his 20th home run of the season Thursday afternoon against the Giants in San Francisco. It took him until Sept. 4 of last year to reach 20 home runs.

Donaldson took starter Tim Lincecum deep for a two-run home run in the sixth inning. He finished 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in a 6-1 win. He is hitting .241 with 65 RBI in 353 at-bats.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is 8 for 10 with a double, two homers and three RBI in two games against the Nationals this week, notes MASNSports.com. He's 12 for 21 since returning from his suspension.

Over his last eight games, Machado has five homers, giving him nine this season in 234 at-bats.

With another home run Monday, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado now has four in his last seven games. He's batting .404 (19 for 47) in his last 11 and beginning to show the potential that had everyone so excited before his knee surgery late last season and ugly encounter with the Athletics a few weeks ago.

At age 22, he's only begun to scratch the surface of his potential -- potential so great that it earned him comparisons to Alex Rodriguez when he was drafted back in 2010.

Obviously, he doesn't deserve as much trust as Josh Donaldson, Adrian Beltre or even Todd Frazier, but if you're stuck at 5-9 and need to make some magic happen to move up in the standings, trading one of those more established types for, say, Brandon Moss or Alex Gordon along with Machado, knowing his big breakout could potentially come this year, might be worth the gamble.

Again, I'm not saying Machado is as valuable as Donaldson, Beltre or Frazier yet, but he has a chance to get there. And depending on your specific circumstances, it could be a game-changer for you.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado enjoyed a breakout offensive performance Monday, going 5 for 6 with a double and a two-run home run in his team's 8-2, 11-inning win over the Red Sox.

Machado's blast was the third of the 11th inning and put a cap on his biggest performance of the season. He has put together three straight multi-hit games, and Monday's five-hit night raised his batting average 15 points on its own. He has hit .261/.308/.404 with eight home runs and 19 RBI in 230 at-bats.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe enjoyed his first big game Sunday since coming off the disabled list on June 30.

His first multi-hit game since June 8 was not enough to give his team a comeback victory over the Yankees, but it did sweeten his stat line to .245/.319/.410. Plouffe came within a triple of a cycle with a two-run homer in the eighth, as well as RBI double and single.

On Sunday, Major League Baseball revealed the American League starting lineup for the 2014 All-Star Game, which will be held on July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis. Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was voted as a starter, but Royals catcher Salvador Perez will take his place behind the plate for the game. Other injured players will likely be replaced on the roster moving forward.

The following players were selected as starters by the fans:

OF Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (leading vote-getter)
OF Mike Trout, Angels
OF Adam Jones, Orioles
1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B Robinson Cano, Mariners
SS Derek Jeter, Yankees
3B Josh Donaldson, Athletics
C Matt Wieters, Orioles
DH Nelson Cruz, Orioles

RHP Yu Darvish, Rangers
RHP Max Scherzer, Tigers
RHP Felix Hernandez, Mariners
RHP Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees
LHP Jon Lester, Red Sox
LHP David Price, Rays
LHP Scott Kazmir, Athletics
LHP Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays
LHP Sean Doolittle, Athletics
RHP Greg Holland, Royals
LHP Glen Perkins, Twins
RHP Dellin Betances, Yankees