MLB Player News

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson entered Sunday's game against the Mariners mired in a 2-for-25 slump in his previous six games, which dropped his average from .329 to .305. His performance Sunday, however, could signal Donaldson is ready to snap out of his mini-slide.

Donaldson doubled, hit a solo home run and scored twice in a 10-2 rout of Seattle. Donaldson hit his second June home run and compiled his fifth multi-hit game this month. Donaldson is batting .254 (15 for 59) with two doubles and 10 RBI in 14 June games.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado had another multiple-hit game Saturday night against Boston. It was his fourth straight multi-hit contest and it extended his current hitting streak to 13 games.

Machado has gone 18 for 57 (.316) over that stretch with six doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored. The doubles are what are setting Machado apart this season. Machado is leading the majors by a wide margin in doubles with 31. 

His 30 doubles over his first 68 games played this season put him in some very rare company. Machado's 30 doubles over his first 68 games are the most by any player under the age of 22 since 1920. That tops Ted Williams' 25 in 1939 and Joe DiMaggio's 24 in 1936. Machado is currently on pace to shatter the major league record for doubles in a season. 

Machado leads the major leagues in hits with 97 as Miguel Cabrera's 92 are second. He has 36 RBI and a .324 batting average to go with it. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe fell a triple shy of the cycle as he homered, doubled and drove home three runs in his first game back from the disabled list Saturday against the Tigers.

Plouffe hit a two-run home run in the fourth and singled in a run in the seventh inning. He finished 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI in a 6-3 victory. He's hitting .270 with five homers and 20 RBI in 137 at-bats.