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."

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. 

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.

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.

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."

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. 

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.