MLB Player News

Athletics third basemen Josh Donaldson was able to shake off an ankle injury Saturday night against the Mariners. Donaldson appeared to twist his ankle while trying to stretch a double into a single in the ninth inning.

However, he remained in the game and told reporters afterwards that he is fine.

Donaldson finished 2 for 4 with a home run and one RBI in the 4-3 win. He is hitting .265 (9 for 34) with two home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria blasted a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off Padres closer Huston Street to lift Tampa Bay to an 8-7 victory Saturday night. The homer was Longoria's only hit of the game and extended his hitting streak to six outings.

During his current hot stretch, he has recorded four doubles and three homers while driving in 11 runs. His batting average stands at .333.

"You need games like this, whether it's myself or anybody coming through in the clutch, to kind of boost morale and jump-start everything," Longoria said.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been better than fellow phenoms Mike Trout and Bryce Harper over the first 84 games of their respective big-league careers, MASNSports.com reports Saturday. 

Former Baltimore executive Jim Duquette pointed out that Machado tops Harper and Trout in batting average, homers, RBI and doubles over that span. 

Machado has a .284 average with 12 homers, 47 RBI and 20 doubles in his first 84 games. Harper has gone .258 with nine HRs, 29 RBI and 16 doubles. Trout is at .282 with 11 HRs, 42 RBI and 16 doubles. 

Machado's RBI single to right Friday in the 10th inning in Minnesota helped the Orioles rally for the win. He's batting .314 with five homers and 23 RBI over 153 at-bats. 

I don't know if Orioles third baseman Manny Machado's hot start this season is the breakout that vaults him to elite status in Fantasy, but judging by his pedigree as a former No. 3 overall pick and all the Alex Rodriguez comparisons that accompanied him coming out of high school, I'm confident the breakout is coming someday,. And I wouldn't want to miss out on it because of pure stubborness.

In theory, 20-year-olds who walk as infrequently as he does are destined to disappoint, but he's striking out once every five at-bats -- not bad, all things considered -- and hasn't fallen into the trap of trying to yank everything out of the ballpark. And again, his pedigree is as good as it gets.

I'll take the middle ground with him, ranking him 11th at third base but understanding he has the potential to finish in the top seven. In the strictest sense, he's a sell-high candidate, but if I owned him, I doubt I'd find a deal to my liking.

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson finally got his team on the board during Thursday's 9-2 loss to the Indians with a solo home run off Scott Kazmir with two outs in the fifth inning. Donaldson, who has four home runs, finished 2 for 3 with one walk.

Donaldson snapped his multi-hit game slump at eight games. Donaldson was batting .179 (5 for 28) with one double, one home run and three RBI in that span.

On April 27, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters that third baseman Trevor Plouffe was not being aggressive enough in the field, and the 26-year-old appears to have taken those words into the batter's box.

Over the last eight games, Plouffe is batting .300, with seven RBI and six runs scored. He has found his power stroke, while only striking out six times. He is batting .250 on the season but is trending up after a slow start to the season.

Plouffe hit 24 home runs a year ago, so we know his power is legit. He has been hurt by consistently low batting averages on balls in play, which means there still might be another level where he can take his game.

In Fantasy formats that require a third baseman and corner infield spot, Plouffe has solid value on the waiver wire. He is owned in just 46 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe had a big night at the dish Wednesday as Minnesota won in Boston, 15-8.

Plouffe pounded out three of the Twins' 20 hits as he went 3 for 5 with a double. He drove in his first run of the game with a sac fly in the first inning. Plouffe added an RBI double in the second and a run-scoring single in the fifth for three RBI.

Batting .250 on the year, Plouffe has hit in eight of his last 10 games to raise his average from .224.

If not for being blocked by a couple of pretty solid hitters in their own right, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado would be forcing his way into the middle of the team's order in just his second season in the big leagues.

Despite batting second for the entire season, Machado drove in his 22nd run of the season Wednesday.

Machado has been able to drive so many runners in thanks to his abilities with runners on base. Machado is solid with the bases empty, posting a .300 batting average and .831 on-base plus slugging percentage, but he dwarfs those numbers when the guys in front of him get on base. Machado is hitting .333 with a .938 OPS with runners on base.

As he matures, the Orioles will almost certainly feel more comfortable getting Machado in the heart of the order. Once that happens, his RBI numbers are going to go through the roof. As it is, he is taking full advantage of every opportunity he gets to make an impact. Given his sky-high upside, Fantasy owners have to be in love with what Machado is doing right now.

Machado has seven multi-hit games in his last 11, while batting .404 in that span. At this point, it is hard to justify keeping the 20-year-old out of the lineup in any Fantasy league. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria drove in three of the 10 runs scored by Tampa Bay Wednesday at home against the Blue Jays. 

Longoria homered in the bottom of the fourth inning for a two-run shot with two outs. He added a double and an RBI single to finish 3 for 4 with three RBI. He added a walk and is batting .320 for the Rays. 

The 27-year-old has gone 6 for 12 (.500) in his last three contests with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. He has 22 RBI on the year spanning 125 at-bats. 

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson struck out three times in a game for the first time this season Wednesday, going 0 for 4 in a loss to Cleveland. Despite the hitless game, Donaldson has still hit .294/.375/.468 with three home runs in 144 plate appearances this year.