MLB Player News

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson went 0 for 4 out of the fifth spot in the lineup Wednesday, leaving eight men on base in his team's 7-5 win over the Astros.

Donaldson, who has played every inning at third base for the A's this season, hit fifth for just the third time this year. The hitless day lowered his season line to .242/.299/.419 with two home runs in 67 plate appearances.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado produced an RBI double Tuesday against the Rays. It was his third double and sixth RBI.

Machado has hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .310 (9 for 29) with one home run, two doubles and five RBI. He hit just .192 (5 for 26) with one double and one RBI in his first six games.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria homered for the second straight game Tuesday at Baltimore. Longoria is batting .273 (6 for 22) with two home runs, three runs, four RBI and five walks during the first seven games of the team's current road trip.

The Rays have juggled their lineup the past few days, moving third baseman Evan Longoria from the cleanup spot to third and then back to fourth in the order Tuesday, in an attempt to jumpstart his bat, and subsequently, their offense.

Longoria is batting .300, but has just one extra-base hit in his first 40 at-bats. As a result of his surprisingly light bat, Longoria has just four RBI. Fantasy owners have to be frustrated about Longoria's slow start because he was drafted to be one of the premier run producers. The best advice we can give to Fantasy owners worried about Longoria's empty average so far this season comes to us courtesy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, emblazoned in big, bold letters: "DON'T PANIC".

Longoria is batting .353 with runners on base through the first 12 games, but has yet to sock an extra-base hit in those situations. For his career, Longoria has been a much better batter with runner's on base, increasing his batting average from .259 with the bases empty to .296. And his extra-base hit woes have never been an issue, as he has one extra-base hit every 7.6 at-bats, compared to once ever 8.0 at-bats overall

Longoria's RBI total has been down over the past two years, after posting back-to-back 100-RBI seasons in 2009-2010. But his per-game production has remained top-notch in that span, leaving little reason for Fantasy owners to think this is a meaningful trend. All-Star talents generally don't turn into slap hitters overnight at the age of 27. Don't be surprised if Longoria posts a few multi-RBI games in the next few days to assuage your fears. 

The Rays moved third baseman Evan Longoria down in the order to the cleanup spot Tuesday in Baltimore, MLB.com reports. Manager Joe Maddon continues to tinker with the lineup after Longoria had hit third in the previous four games. 

Longoria, batting .300, hit his first home run -- and extra-base hit of any kind -- Monday in Boston. He has four RBI after 40 at-bats with 11 strikeouts. 

He's gone 2 for 13 (.154) batting third in the order and 10 for 27 (.370) in the cleanup spot. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe hit his second home run of the season Monday during an 8-2 win over the Angels. He went deep in the fourth inning for a solo shot off starter Joe Blanton. 

Plouffe finished the game 2 for 4 and added his third double. Batting .256, Plouffe recorded just his second multi-hit game of the year. He has four RBI. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria finally produced his first extra-base hit of the season Monday at Boston. Longoria tied the game at one in the fourth inning with his first homer of the season.

It ended Longoria's longest season-opening stretch without a homer at 11 games and was just the fifth homer by the Rays. But Longoria has reached base in every game this season. He's batting .300 (12 for 40) with four RBI.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said Saturday that third baseman Evan Longoria will bat third against left-handed starting pitchers, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Maddon still likes him fourth against right-handed pitchers. 

Longoria, who is batting .345 this year over 29 at-bats but has yet to pick up an extra-base hit with just three RBI, is a career .267 hitter in the No. 3 spot. That said, he's spent far and away more time hitting third than any other position in the order. 

Athletics third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a walk-off solo home run in the 12th inning to give his team a 4-3 win over the Tigers Friday night. It was the second home run of the season for Donaldson, who also scored two runs and doubled for the third time this year in his five at-bats.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado enjoyed his third multi-hit game of the season during Friday's series opener against the Yankees.

Machado singled in a run in the third inning and reached on an infield single in the sixth. He finished 2 for 4 with an RBI in a 5-2 defeat.

Machado, who started the season 5 for 26, is now 7 for 17 with a double, three runs scored, a home run and four RBI in his last four games. He is hitting .279/.326/.395 through his first 10 games.