MLB Player News

Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk to account for Cleveland's only runs in its 13-2 loss to the Angels on Wednesday.

It was the first hit of 2018 for the dynamic young infielder, who was 0-for-15 on the season before breaking through with Wednesday's first-inning blast off Garrett Richards. With the hitless streak now dispatched, Ramirez will look to get back to the form that turned him into an MVP candidate last season, when he posted a ridiculous .318/.374/.583 slash line.

Longoria went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's 6-4 loss to Seattle.

The veteran went 0-for-15 through his first four games with the Giants, so the monkey might finally be off his back after spending the first 10 years of his career with Tampa Bay. While the 32-year-old third baseman is probably past his prime, Longoria has also proven to be one of the more reliable mid-range assets at the hot corner over the past five years. He projects to turn in another serviceable campaign, and this could also end up proving to be a potential buy-low opportunity.

Candelario went 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Royals.

None of the Detroit hitters were able to get much going thanks to the cold and damp weather and the strong showing from Royals pitcher Jakob Junis on the mound, but Candelario's underwhelming contributions loom a little larger than most given his standing as the Tigers' No. 2 hitter. Fortunately for Candelario, the Tigers don't have many real threats on the roster to displace him from the two hole, as his weak .320 on-base percentage through five games still ranks fourth among lineup regulars.

Donaldson is the starting third baseman for Tuesday's tilt with the White Sox, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson had been limited to DH duties due to a case of dead arm, but it seems like he's feeling well enough to return to the field. He's gotten a hit in his past three contests, including a homer in Monday's series opener, so it doesn't seem like the issue is overly problematic. It's still worth monitoring moving forward.

Chapman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.

That's homers in back-to-back games for Chapman, who's also reached safely in all five games of the season thus far. The 24-year-old has also gone down on strikes at least once in four of those contests, so his career-long struggles with contact rate remain very much a part of his profile for the time being. However, the early power display hints at room for growth on the 14 round trippers he slugged over 326 plate appearances in his rookie campaign.

Anderson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Monday's 7-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Although the homer was his first of the season, Anderson's collected at least one hit in all five Marlins games so far, going 7-for-21 with six RBI. The young third baseman is doing his best to dispel any notion of Martin Prado (knee) challenging him for the starting job at the hot corner when the veteran comes off the disabled list.

Robinson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics.

Robinson made a second consecutive start in center field, filling in for the injured Delino Deshields, who will miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing surgery to remove the hamate bone in his left hand. He's not very experienced at the position, having played just five games out there prior to 2018, and the Rangers are exploring center field options on the market, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports. Still, Robinson, who's had a hand in two of the three runs the offensively starved Rangers scored over the last two games, will get a majority of the at-bats in center field for now. Texas also has Rule 5 selection Carlos Tocci who can play center field, but the organization didn't plan for him to have a regular role this season.

Moustakas went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Monday's loss to the Tigers.

Moustakas entered the game having gone 3-for-8 (.375) with three runs scored over the Royals' first two outings. Although he struggled in this instance, the 29-year-old third baseman has shown his power in the season's early stages, as two of his three hits have been for extra bases.

Escobar went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in Monday's loss to the Pirates.

Although the Twins lost, Escobar put together his second consecutive multi-hit outing, with one of his hits being a double. However, while Escobar has gone 5-for-13 (.385) over three games this season, strikeouts have been an issue early on. Across his 13 plate appearances, the 29-year-old has struck out five times.

The Blue Jays are hopeful that Donaldson (arm) will be back at third base Tuesday against the White Sox, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Donaldson visibly struggled to make throws from third base in the season opener against the Yankees and was moved to designated hitter for the remainder of the series. He was reportedly suffering from a dead arm and couldn't throw but was still able to hit. He was able to participate in long toss following Sunday's game and it appears that he won't be off the field much longer. It will be worth monitoring the issue in coming weeks to make sure that it doesn't linger and affect Donaldson's performance at the plate.