MLB Player News

After the Nationals promoted top prospect Anthony Rendon to take the place of injured third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Sunday, the only uncertainty surrounding him is his playing time once the All-Star slugger returns. Manager Davey Johnson emphatically offered his point of view on the matter prior to Monday's series opener against St. Louis.

"I don't care if he hits .900, there's no way (he's) beating out Ryan Zimmerman," Johnson told The Washington Post about Rendon, who was slotted sixth in the batting order for the second straight game.

There's little question Anthony Rendon can slide right into the Nationals lineup and be a competent -- if not great -- major league player. He may not offer a lot of home runs or steals, but he has solid plate discipline and could produce a high OPS. 

Rendon has one major problem, however: a playing time crunch. Once Ryan Zimmerman returns from his DL stint, there's little the Nats can do to keep Rendon in the lineup. It's the same quagmire faced by Evan Gattis owners, but with a less optimistic outlook -- Gattis will at least play from time to time at catcher (while possibly rotating in at first base and outfield). With a stacked Washington infield, Rendon, like fellow time-crunched teammate Tyler Moore, would be lucky to get five at-bats a week.

Still, without getting too glib -- these things tend to work themselves out. Zimmerman's injury may be re-aggravated in his rehab. Adam LaRoche or Danny Espinosa may get hurt. Zimmerman owners and those Fantasy players looking to solidify their corner infield spot for the next two weeks (Pedro Alvarez owners, perhaps?) may want to look into Rendon as a short-term alternative. While he may not last deep into May, he should be a decent option until then. 

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe started his 15th straight game Sunday against White Sox. Plouffe is one of three Twins' position players, joining Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, to start every game this season.

Unfortunately, Plouffe is mired in a 0-for-12 slump, which has dropped his season average (.196) below the Mendoza Line. Plouffe has just two home runs and four RBI in 51 at-bats.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria reached on an error and doubled Sunday against the Athletics to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. It's the third-longest streak to start a season in franchise history, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Longoria's feat trails Rocco Baldelli's franchise-best 24-game streak and Jorge Cantu's 20-game streak.

"For the most part, he's kept his strike zone organized," manager Joe Maddon said. "And as long as he does, he'll hit the ball consistently well all year."

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and committed an error during his major-league debut in Washington's 2-0 loss to the Mets on Sunday. Selected sixth overall in the 2011 draft out of Rice, Rendon was called up from Double-A Harrisburg to fill in for injured third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

It's very interesting to see that as good as Brewers shortstop Jean Segura has been to begin the season, he's still only the 12th-highest Fantasy scoring shortstop in standard Head-to-Head leagues. A lack of home runs and RBI are certainly holding Segura back and probably will all season.

Though, Segura is still worth holding onto in Fantasy because he's a good enough contact hitter that he could use his speed to leg out extra-base hits. Let's not forget his most valuable contribution this season could end up being his stolen-base total. It's just that Segura probably won't break into the upper echelon of Fantasy shortstops because of his lack of home run power and RBI production.

I'm not quite convinced Fantasy owners need to rush Orioles third baseman Manny Machado into their lineups for Week 4 (April 22-28). 

Machado has been on a good run the last few weeks, batting .302 (16 for 53) with two home runs, four doubles, 10 runs and 10 RBI in 13 games. But basically that surge takes him back to where his numbers were last season. His slash line through 17 games (.268/.307/.423/.729) is pretty similar to what he produced last year (.262/.294/.445/.739). It's also pretty close to what he did in the minors (.263/.344/.432/.776).

I have no doubt Machado has a bright future in the majors, but don't forget he's only 20 years old. Not every elite prospect is in the mold of Bryce Harper or Mike Trout. Many of them have ups and downs before hitting their stride.

I just don't think Machado is ready for his breakout run, so I would continue to temper expectations.

Shortly after promoting him from Double-A Harrisburg, Nationals top prospect Anthony Rendon was inserted into the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Mets. Rendon, who filled the roster hole created by Ryan Zimmerman's move to the disabled list, hit sixth in the batting order while patrolling third base.

The Nationals expect Zimmerman to spend the minimum amount of time on the DL and appear committed to providing Rendon -- the sixth overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft -- everyday playing time in his absence. At Harrisburg, the 22-year-old was hitting .292 with a robust .462 on-base percentage after averaging a walk per game.

"I don't like to bring a youngster up and have him sit," manager Davey Johnson told The Washington Post on Saturday. "He's been swinging the bat pretty good down there. It's no slight against some guys I got here."

After going 0 for 4 in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado made up for it in the nightcap. He went 3 for 4 with a homer, four RBI and a pair of runs scored in the 6-1 win.

The 20-year-old singled in the third inning before driving in Nate McLouth with a double in the fifth. Then in the sixth, he launched a three-run bomb off starter Josh Beckett.

"He just left it a little up and I just took advantage of that," Machado told MASNSports.com. "It's been awhile since I had a good game, had a couple of games with an 0-fer. We had two good games today and now we try to come out tomorrow and get another one."

Machado is batting .311 (14 for 45) in the last 10 contests with two home runs and 10 RBI.

"You know I just think the more at-bats I get the more comfortable I feel at the plate," he said. "It comes with experience, this game is all about experience."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura stayed hot with a double, single and stolen base against the Cubs Saturday, his second-straight game with two hits and a steal. He boosted his line to .386/.417/.526 and has three steals this year.