MLB Player News

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.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez went deep for the first time in eight games Tuesday, in a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Alvarez had just one hit as he went 1 for 4 in the game, but he made it count. Alvarez clubbed a two-run home run in the fourth inning to open the scoring for Pittsburgh, though it was his only contribution in the loss.

Alvarez is hitting .240/.326/.412 with 14 home runs in 88 games. 

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

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Sunday he talked to shortstop Jean Segura, who is mired in a 1-for-14 slump through four July games and is batting .091 (2 for 22) in his last seven games.

"I think he's been swinging the bat a lot better. I know he's a little frustrated," Roenicke said, per MLB.com. "Like [Saturday], he had two great at-bats and no hits. That's been going on some, so that's a little tough."

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 5-1 win over the Blue Jays Saturday.

Donaldson had managed just one home run since June 6 before knocking one out in the third inning Saturday to even the score at 1-1. He has hit .244/.323/.464 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI in 336 at-bats.

Royals third baseman Danny Valencia went 3 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 7-3 loss to the Indians Saturday.

Valencia has strung together a modest six-game hitting streak, and Saturday's three-hit night was just his second of the season. His home run was also his second of the year, with the first coming way back on April 16. Valencia has hit .310/.351/.437 with 10 RBI in 87 at-bats.