MLB Player News

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson went 4 for 5 in Tuesday's loss to Texas.

Donaldson doubled twice and scored a run but somehow managed to avoid even a single RBI. Donaldson is now hitting .315 after he had just a .241 mark last year. His strikeout rate has also been slashed from 20.7 percent to 15.5 percent, which suggests there's a chance some of this improvement could stick for the rest of the season.

When Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was a standout high school player in Miami, he elicited comparisons to another phenom who hailed from South Florida: Alex Rodriguez. The parallels continued when Machado was selected as the third overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft; Rodriguez had been chosen first by the Mariners in 1993.

Naturally, the two paths of their major-league careers will be analyzed and it appears Machado, who was roughly 13 months older than A-Rod at the time of his debut, holds a slight edge approaching his 100th game. According to the Baltimore Sun, through the first 89 games of their careers, Machado has more runs scored (52 to 38), doubles (22-18), homers (12-11), RBI (50-44) and a higher batting average (.294-.253).

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria took home AL player of the week honors Monday after he managed a seven-game hitting streak from April 6-12. Longoria hit .464 (13 for 28) with three home runs, four walks, five doubles, eight runs and 11 RBI in that span.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado singled in the first, doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh in Sunday's series finale against the Twins. He finished 3 for 5 and improved his batting average to .331 after Sunday's 6-0 victory.

Machado, 20, became the first player under 21 years old to have three-consecutive three-hit games since Rennie Stennett of the Pirates in September 1971. He is hitting .563 with two doubles and two RBI in his last three games -- all against Minnesota.

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.