MLB Player News

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson finally got his team on the board during Thursday's 9-2 loss to the Indians with a solo home run off Scott Kazmir with two outs in the fifth inning. Donaldson, who has four home runs, finished 2 for 3 with one walk.

Donaldson snapped his multi-hit game slump at eight games. Donaldson was batting .179 (5 for 28) with one double, one home run and three RBI in that span.

On April 27, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters that third baseman Trevor Plouffe was not being aggressive enough in the field, and the 26-year-old appears to have taken those words into the batter's box.

Over the last eight games, Plouffe is batting .300, with seven RBI and six runs scored. He has found his power stroke, while only striking out six times. He is batting .250 on the season but is trending up after a slow start to the season.

Plouffe hit 24 home runs a year ago, so we know his power is legit. He has been hurt by consistently low batting averages on balls in play, which means there still might be another level where he can take his game.

In Fantasy formats that require a third baseman and corner infield spot, Plouffe has solid value on the waiver wire. He is owned in just 46 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe had a big night at the dish Wednesday as Minnesota won in Boston, 15-8.

Plouffe pounded out three of the Twins' 20 hits as he went 3 for 5 with a double. He drove in his first run of the game with a sac fly in the first inning. Plouffe added an RBI double in the second and a run-scoring single in the fifth for three RBI.

Batting .250 on the year, Plouffe has hit in eight of his last 10 games to raise his average from .224.

If not for being blocked by a couple of pretty solid hitters in their own right, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado would be forcing his way into the middle of the team's order in just his second season in the big leagues.

Despite batting second for the entire season, Machado drove in his 22nd run of the season Wednesday.

Machado has been able to drive so many runners in thanks to his abilities with runners on base. Machado is solid with the bases empty, posting a .300 batting average and .831 on-base plus slugging percentage, but he dwarfs those numbers when the guys in front of him get on base. Machado is hitting .333 with a .938 OPS with runners on base.

As he matures, the Orioles will almost certainly feel more comfortable getting Machado in the heart of the order. Once that happens, his RBI numbers are going to go through the roof. As it is, he is taking full advantage of every opportunity he gets to make an impact. Given his sky-high upside, Fantasy owners have to be in love with what Machado is doing right now.

Machado has seven multi-hit games in his last 11, while batting .404 in that span. At this point, it is hard to justify keeping the 20-year-old out of the lineup in any Fantasy league. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria drove in three of the 10 runs scored by Tampa Bay Wednesday at home against the Blue Jays. 

Longoria homered in the bottom of the fourth inning for a two-run shot with two outs. He added a double and an RBI single to finish 3 for 4 with three RBI. He added a walk and is batting .320 for the Rays. 

The 27-year-old has gone 6 for 12 (.500) in his last three contests with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI. He has 22 RBI on the year spanning 125 at-bats. 

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson struck out three times in a game for the first time this season Wednesday, going 0 for 4 in a loss to Cleveland. Despite the hitless game, Donaldson has still hit .294/.375/.468 with three home runs in 144 plate appearances this year.

At the beginning of the season, Rangers infield prospect Mike Olt was a prime minor-league stash candidate. A top prospect who has shown the willingness to play all over the field to get his bat in the lineup, Olt seemed like a great bet to make an impact at the major-league level before long. Whether by trade or injury, it looked like we would see Olt again before long as he seemed intent on forcing his way into the lineup.

Unfortunately, Olt is batting just .139 with one home run at Triple-A Round Rock, and he has already struck out in 32 of his 72 at-bats. Olt's extended slump to begin the season has the Rangers so baffled that he has been placed on the disabled list until they can find the source of his issues. Right now, the team is targeting his eyesight as the source, but visits with specialists have yet to find anything.

Olt entered the season ranked 22nd in Baseball America's prospect rankings, But after a month-plus of the season, it is starting to look like Olt might not even be worth a roster spot for most Fantasy owners, especially in leagues that do not allow an extra spot for minor-league players.

There are guys down in the minors who stand a better chance of making a Fantasy impact this season at this point. 

The Rangers placed first baseman Mike Olt on the disabled list while playing with Triple-A Round Rock Tuesday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Olt is dealing with an eye issue. 

Expected to see a specialist in 10-14 days, Olt could be cleared to return to action following his visit. The infielder has hit just .139 with one homer and 32 strikeouts over 20 games this season and Texas feels the eye issue could be a big reason for his struggles. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria drove in four runs Monday in an 8-7 loss to Toronto. Longoria hit a grand slam in the third inning off Mark Buehrle for his seventh homer of the season. 

Longoria went 2 for 5 i and is batting .305. He's hit in eight of his last 10 games with two homers and nine RBI over that span.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe hit his fourth home run Sunday against Cleveland, a two-run shot in the second inning.

Plouffe finished 1 for 2 with a walk and raised his line to .238/.326/.463. His line this year is nearly identical to last year's .235/.301/.455 campaign except with a few more walks, as the power he showed in 2012 with 24 home runs has been maintained so far.