MLB Player News

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit two homers and had reached 500 career RBI in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Yankees.

Longoria had solo homers off starter Andy Pettitte in the sixth inning and Joba Chamberlain. He finished 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI, improving his batting average to .307.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura went 2 for 5 and stole two bases in his team's 7-4 loss to the Astros Thursday. The steals give him seven for the month of June and 22 for the season.

Segura has hit .260/.280/.425 with two home runs in 73 at-bats in June, cooling down after hitting .354/.393/.550 in April and May.

Twins infielder Eduardo Escobar clubbed his third home run Thursday against the White Sox.

Escobar hit a solo shot in the fourth inning off John Danks. He was one of four Twins to homer off Danks. Escobar is now hitting .236.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez was a one-man wrecking crew during Thursday's 5-3 win at Cincinnati. Alvarez accounted for all five of the team's RBI.

Alvarez plated one run on a single in the third inning, another run on a solo homer in the sixth and three more runs on a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning, which broke open a 2-all game. Alvarez, who went 3 for 4, entered play Thursday mired in a 6-for-30 slump in his previous eight games.

Alvarez now has six home runs and 19 RBI in 18 June games.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria had three singles in a 6-2 win over the Red Sox Wednesday.

Longoria was 3 for 5 with a run and RBI. He is hitting .304/.362/.539 in 280 at-bats. 

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado had another multi-hit game Tuesday in Detroit. Machado became the first player to 100 base hits this season with two in the 5-2 win. 

Machado, who leads the majors with 101 hits, went 2 for 5 with yet another double as he continues to lead the majors in two-baggers by a wide margin with 33. He's batting .324 and has five homers, 37 RBI and 46 runs scored. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria will play third base in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader at Boston, the Tampa Bay Times reports. Longoria felt fine after starting at third in the opener. 

Longoria, who had been limited to playing designated hitter while he was dealing with plantar fasciitis, went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored in the 5-1 loss to the Red Sox in the opener. He's batting .303 on the year. 

The Nationals continue to entertain the idea of bringing back Danny Espinosa to play second base though top prospect Anthony Rendon has hit .410 (16 for 39) with a homer, six doubles and a 1.093 OPS in his absence, which probably has some Rendon owners worried that they're about to get the rug pulled out from under them.

My response: Why worry?

I don't mean about anything ever. I just mean that this particular situation doesn't warrant it. The Nationals already have said Espinosa has to start producing before he gets back, and so far, he's hititng as poorly on his minor-league rehab assignment as he did in the majors, going 2 for 13. I don't see how it gets better. He's playing with a rotator cuff and a bone chip in his wrist. I understand he wants to play and thinks he can, but every body (not to mention everybody) has its limits.

The Nationals may not consider Espinosa a lost cause for this season, but to me, it's such a likely scenario that, for the sake of having high-end production at second base, I prefer to hold on to Rendon and hope for the best.

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa (wrist) continues to make progress during his minor-league rehab assignment, meaning the team could soon be forced to make a roster decision. But Anthony Rendon's emergence at second base makes it a tougher than expected decision for the Nationals, who expected Espinosa to resume his duties at second base once healthy.

"Now that Danny is healthy he needs to go ahead and show what he is capable of doing," manager Davey Johnson said Monday, per The Washington Post. "He certainly has the talent to do it. What Rendon is doing doesn’t have any bearing on what he is doing. He needs to get comfortable on both sides of the dish and do the things he is capable of doing. I know he is handling it defensively. Is he in a good frame of mind? Is he getting in a good groove left and right? And not worry about anything other than that.”

General manager Mike Rizzo said previously Espinosa, who hit .158 prior to going on the DL, could end up in the minors once he's ready to return and it's becoming a real possibility thanks to Rendon, who is batting .344 in 18 games.

"I don’t think there’s a better defensive second baseman in the league than Danny Espinosa," Johnson said. "But the one thing we want is Danny to be comfortable on both sides of the dish. And when he does that, he could be All-Star. It’s that simple."

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is ready to play the field again. Longoria is slated to play third during game one of the team's doubleheader against the Red Sox.

Longoria had been limited to playing designated hitter while he was dealing with plantar fasciitis. The injury was not thought to be serious, and Longoria was able to shake it after a few days coming off the bench. Longoria is hitting .306/.365/.552 in 268 at-bats.