MLB Player News

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar took over at shortstop late in Wednesday's game against the Tigers. He ended up playing the role of the hero. 

Escobar, who took over for Pedro Florimon, the starter, blasted a walk-off double to left-center field off Phil Coke in the bottom of the ninth to send the Twins to victory, 3-2. He drove in the game-tying and winning runs. 

Escobar went 1 for 1 in the game and is now 1 for 2 on the season. The 24-year-old has come off the bench in both games. 

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado, who has never hit higher than sixth in his young MLB career, is embracing manager Buck Showalter's decision to bat him second in Tuesday's season opener at Tampa Bay.

"Buck does everything for a reason," Machado said. "He's trusting me and he has faith. He's going to put the best nine guys out there, nine guys who are going to help this team win, so that definitely boosts my confidence going into opening day, knowing that your manager and your teammates have faith in you. It's going to be great. I'm excited for it and I'm excited to get the season going."

The Orioles announced Monday third baseman Manny Machado will hit second during Tuesday's season opener at Tampa Bay. Machado never hit second as a rookie in 2012. He hit sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth.

Machado hit .268 (15 for 56) with one triple, three doubles, one RBI and seven walks in 21 spring games.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe snapped his nine-game hitting streak on Tuesday by recording an out in his only at-bat before going hitless in three at-bats as the Twins' DH Wednesday against the Pirates. Plouffe had managed hits in 11 of his first 12 games before his 0-for-4 performance over the last two days. Even after cooling off, he's still hitting .366/.386/.439 this spring but has yet to hit a home run.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado collected his first RBI of the spring in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest against the Twins. He singled in his first at-bat before driving in a run on an error in the fourth inning. Machado finished 1 for 3 in the 9-5 loss.

The 20-year-old is batting .261 (12 for 46) through 18 spring games with a .326 slugging percentage.

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told MLB.com on Tuesday that prospect Mike Olt will concentrate on playing third base at Triple-A Round Rock.

Olt batted just .194 with two homers and five RBI in 19 Cactus League games before being optioned last week. The 24-year-old played a couple of different positions while in camp with Texas.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hasn't hit a home run this spring, but that would be more concerning if Longoria's other numbers were lacking, which they are not. The 27-year-old third baseman is batting .395 (15 for 38) with four runs, eight doubles and 10 RBI in 14 spring games. He also owns a .605 slugging percentage and 1.034 OPS.

Longoria has dealt with his injury issues the last two seasons, but when he's been in the lineup, he's continued to post solid numbers. Longoria has a .507 slugging percentage and .867 OPS since 2011, despite being limited to 207 games. 

He continues to justify his status as the second-highest drafted third baseman in Head-to-Head and Rotisserie formats behind Miguel Cabrera.

Minnesota third baseman Trevor Plouffe returned to the lineup Friday and went 2-for-3 with a double during the Twins' 9-7 loss to the Yankees in Grapefruit League action. The outing was Plouffe's first exhibition game since March 8 as he had been nursing a lingering calf injury.

Projected to serve as the team's starting third baseman this season, Plouffe notched his fifth multi-hit performance of the spring to push his batting average to .433 after 10 games.

The Orioles optioned third baseman Danny Valencia to Triple-A Norfolk Thursday.

Valencia was in the middle of a solid spring, hitting .323/.417/.484 in 36 plate appearances, but the 28-year-old will open the season at Triple-A after hitting .188/.199/.299 in the majors last season.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe suffered no setbacks in his minor-league action, manager Ron Gardenhire told MLB.com, and Plouffe is on track to re-join the Twins in Grapefruit League action Friday.

Plouffe has been dealing with a calf injury that has kept him out since March 10 but is expected to be ready by opening day.