MLB Player News

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 2 for 6 with three RBI in his team's 11-3 win over the Twins on Sunday.

It's just the second time this season Longoria has racked up three RBI in a game, as he had managed just a total of four RBI through the end of April. He's played third base for the entirety of eight straight games but is just 6 for 33 with one double during that stretch. Longoria and the Rays are off Monday before opening a two-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe is just 8 for 40 with no home runs in 11 games over the last two weeks.

Plouffe has managed a few extra-base hits and drawn five walks to post a .200/.289/.300 line over that stretch. The recent cool-down has the third baseman hitting .254/.336/.423 with five home runs and 18 RBI in 130 at-bats. He's set to open a two-game series in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

The Blue Jays are using third baseman Josh Donaldson as the leadoff hitter on Monday while slotting designated hitter Jose Bautista second.

Regular leadoff hitter Devon Travis is out of the lineup for a second straight day Monday, but rather than plug a replacement atop the lineup and leave most of the team's batters in their normal spots, Donaldson and Bautista will bat one-two for the second time this season, followed by first baseman Edwin Encarnacion in the No. 3 spot and catcher Russell Martin batting cleanup. It's the same configuration the team used on May 1 with both Travis and Jose Reyes out of the lineup.

The Blue Jays are home underdogs (+113) on Monday, per VegasInsider.com.

Athletics first baseman Max Muncy went 1 for 4 at the plate in Oakland's 7-3 loss to the White Sox on Sunday. 

Muncy did his damage in the fourth inning when he crushed an 0-2 pitch from Jeff Samardzija over the center field wall for a two-run shot, the first of his career.

"It's probably still sitting out there beyond the wall right now," Muncy said to MLB.com.

Muncy is now hitting .227 with three RBI in 22 at-bats this season.

"It probably does set me up nicely," Muncy said. "Obviously, I want to be playing. But I hate to see people go down, especially people like Ike who I have lot of respect for."

With regular Athletics first baseman Ike Davis on the 15-day DL, Mark Canha and Max Muncy are expected to split time at first base, manager Bob Melvin said per CSN Bay Area.

Canha is hitting .226/.293/.396 with five home runs in 106 at-bats this season. Muncy is also considered the top backup role at third base and is hitting .222 with one RBI in 18 at-bats. 

Max Muncy will get his second start of the season at first base for the Athletics in Sunday's game.

Muncy started on Tuesday, the first game that Ike Davis missed. With Davis on the disabled list, as of Sunday, Muncy will likely have more opportunities in the near future.

Muncy is hitting eighth in the order. 

Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar went 4 for 4 with two doubles against the Rays on Saturday.

The four-hit peformance was Escobar's first of the season.

Veteran Indians utility man Mike Aviles could be destined to take over the starting shortstop job, according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Aviles is currently on the family medical emergency list after his daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, but he should be back this weekend.

He would replace struggling Jose Ramirez, who would be sent to Triple-A Columbus for steady work. Ramirez is batting .179.

"I'm encouraged by the way Jose continues to work, both offensively and defensively, to try to improve his performance," said general manager Chris Antonetti. "But it's been a struggle for him. He's a young player that's going through an extended struggle in the major leagues in an environment where there's high expectations for team success."

Ramirez has admitted that, though he remains confident, he's not the same player that helped spark the team following the 2014 trade of Asdrubal Cabrera.

His potential demotion would thrust Zach Walters into the backup shortstop role.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti has claimed that preventing premier shortstop prospect Francisco Lindor from reaching Super Two status is not why he has yet to be promoted from Triple-A Columbus, per the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

The struggling Indians are struggling partly because current shortstop Jose Ramirez has been weaker defensively than expected and a disaster offensively. He has three extra-base hits all year and owns a slash line of .179/.222/.238.

The 21-year-old Lindor, however, has not been tearing it up for the Clippers. He has started slow at every level and the same has held true in 2015. He does have a six-game hitting streak, but that has served to raise his average to just .256.

The Indians have claimed that Lindor needs more seasoning in the minors.

The Twins gave slugger Kennys Vargas the night off Wednesday night against the Tigers, per MLB.com.

With Vargas out of the lineup for the second time since Sunday, the club moved Eddie Rosario to left field, Aaron Hicks to center and moved Eduardo Escobar to designated hitter.

Minnesota is considered an underdog (+121) against left-hander Kyle Lobstein and the Tigers. The current Twins roster is hitting .348 (8 for 23) against the Southpaw.