MLB Player News

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Monday the plantar fasciitis in third baseman Evan Longoria's right foot has improved enough for him to play third base on the turf at Tropicana Field, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Longoria was the team's DH for four games from June 13-16 on the team's last homestand because of the injury. He returned to the field for a home game Monday against the Blue Jays. Longoria had played the field in every game of the team's road trip from June 18-23.

"I think he's mellowing a little bit and understanding it's good for him to be able to do that," Maddon said. "I think there was a time that he just did not want to DH, period. A lot of young players don't want to DH because they're baseball players and belong on the field. However, when you play on this stuff here it's a different world, and even if you're chronologically young, this can totally beat down your body and make it old fast."

Rangers infield prospect Mike Olt has slugged seven home runs in 21 games since returning to the lineup at Triple-A Round Rock after missing several weeks dealing with vision problems.

Olt is batting just .250 (20 for 80) in his last 21 games, but he has a .563 slugging percentage and .914 OPS in that span. Olt also has four doubles, 13 walks, 15 RBI and 17 runs since returning to the lineup.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez has been named the National League player of the week. 

Alvarez hit .414 with a .452 on-base percentage. He clubbed four home runs. Alvarez is hitting .237/.303/.513 in 236 at-bats. He's hit 19 home runs. 

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez continued to swing a red-hot bat as he homered for the fourth time in as many days Sunday afternoon against the Angels. 

Alvarez, who was bumped to the No. 3 slot in the order, unleashed a solo home run in the first inning. He added a double and finished 2 for 5 with two runs scored and an RBI in a 10-9 win in extras.

It Alvarez's his fourth consecutive multi-hit game. He is hitting .563 (9 for 16) with three doubles, four homers and eight RBI during that span. He has hit safely in each of his last eight games. He is hitting .237 with 19 homers and 51 RBI in 236 at-bats.

Nationals second baseman Anthony Rendon went 2 for 5 with one strikeout and one double Sunday against the Rockies. It was his ninth double.

Rendon had his third multi-hit game in his last four starts and eighth multi-hit game since his early June recall. Rendon is batting .369 (24 for 65) with one home run, five RBI and eight doubles in 16 games since his recall.

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado hit his sixth home run of the season in his team's 7-1 win over the Nationals Saturday. It was his only hit in four at-bats.

Arenado has turned things around after a sluggish May, hitting .286/.318/.476 with two home runs and 10 RBI in 84 at-bats this month. Saturday's home run was his second on the road, where he's hit just .234/.273/.340 in 94 at-bats.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez homered and recorded multiple hits for the third consecutive game Saturday against the Angels, going 2 for 4 with a second-inning solo home run. He is 7 for 11 with three homers and seven RBI in his last three games.

Alvarez has put together a seven-game hitting streak while raising his line to .234/.301/.498 in 231 at-bats. His 18 homers are tied for fourth in the National League.

Rockies infielder DJ LeMahieu had his third multi-hit game in a row Saturday in a 7-1 win over the Nationals.

LeMahieu went 3 for 5 with his first home run in the first inning. LeMahieu drove in two runs and scored one while extending his hitting streak to five games. 

LeMahieu has nine hits over his last five games, raising his batting average from .267 to .299.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria homered Saturday during a loss at New York. Longoria went deep for the 17th time this season. 

He took CC Sabathia deep in the second inning for a solo shot with no outs. He finished 2 for 3 with a walk. The Yankees intentionally walked him to get to rookie Wil Myers with the bases loaded. Myers delievered a grand slam. 

Longoria scored twice in the game and is batting .307. He's gone 7 for 15 over his last four games with a double, three homers and five RBI. 

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson had a big game Thursday against the Rangers, but a base-running mistake loomed large.

Donaldson went 3 for 5, including a ninth-inning single to represent the tying run with two outs. The next batter singled and Donaldson tried to score when the ball got away from the center fielder. He ran through the stop sign and was thrown out at the plate in a 4-3 loss.

 "As soon as I saw it hit his chest, I was gone," Donaldson said. "It took a perfect throw to get me. It sucks to lose a game that way, but you take that chance. It was frustrating because it was the worst outcome we could have had."

Donaldson is batting .309 with an .872 OPS in 275 at-bats.