MLB Player News

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."

Rockies rookie third baseman Nolan Arenado managed an RBI for a third straight game and hit safely for the 10th time in 11 games Sunday against the Phillies. Arenado is batting .396 (19 for 48) with one home run, two triples, four doubles, six runs and seven RBI in his last 11 games.

Arenado's batting average has risen from .221 to .268 during his recent 11-game run. Prior to his hot streak, Arenado hit .190 (19 for 100) over a 28-game stretch from May 7-June 4, which dropped his average from .323 to .221.

Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit his 15th home run of the year Sunday against the Dodgers.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Alvarez hit a three-run home run on the sixth pitch of his at-bat against Zack Greinke. Alvarez is now hitting .213/.283/.454 in 207 at-bats.

Nationals rookie Anthony Rendon continued his offensive surge Sunday at Cleveland, producing a second straight three-hit performance and extending his hitting streak to 10 games, dating back to May 2. Rendon had his seventh double Sunday.

Rendon is batting .461 (18 for 39) with one home run, five RBI, six runs and six doubles during his 10-game hitting streak. He has obviously hit safely in all nine games since his recall in early June.

Nationals rookie Anthony Rendon said Sunday he's getting more comfortable playing second base and is learning the nuances of the position from hitting coach Rick Eckstein, who is one of two infield coaches for Washington.

"It has been working great. I'm trying to get feedback from anybody that could help me out," Rendon said, per MLB.com. "You never stop learning from this game. That's the crazy thing. I'm trying to do too much. I'm just trying to make the plays."

Eckstein said Rendon has done a nice job transitioning from third base to second base, but he's still learning the position. He's committed two errors in eight games at second base.

"He just has to be out there and play," Eckstein said. "The other day, we had a situation where there was a potential play at the plate, and he wanted to make sure he was in the right spot. We confirmed to him that he was in the right spot. We want to make sure he is backing up the right way, and him and [shortstop Ian Desmond] work together. The more he is out there, the more he is going to learn."

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon hit his first major-league home run in the ninth inning to lift his club to a 7-6 win over the Indians Saturday night.

The rookie homered off Vinnie Pestano to break a 6-6 tie. He fell a triple shy of the cycle as he finished 3 for 5 with two runs scored and a RBI. He is hitting .333 with six RBI in 57 at-bats in the majors.

Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon is out of Friday's lineup against Cleveland, the Washington Post reports. 

Rendon is getting a day off with Steve Lombardozzi getting a start at second base. Rendon has a .308/.390/.404 line in 15 MLB games, including .370/.414/.519 in seven games since he was called up for a second time June 5.

The Rockies could use second baseman DJ LeMahieu at shortstop in the wake of Troy Tulowitzki's rib injury, the Denver Post reports.

Although the Rockies have called up Josh Rutledge, who played shortstop last season when Tulowitzki was hurt, LeMahieu played shortstop every day at Triple-A Colorado Springs before coming up to play second base this season. Both LeMahieu and Rutledge have extensive professional experience at both middle infield positions, so the Rockies can use whatever middle infield deployment they (or the players) feel most comfortable with.

Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu went 1 for 4 and stolen his seventh base of the season in Thursday's game aginast the Nationals.

LeMahieu has put a slow start to June behind him to collect seven hits in 19 at-bats over his last seven games, giving him a .266 batting average in 79 at-bats this season.