MLB Player News

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado broke out of some early-season struggles with one powerful swing on Wednesday night in Boston. 

Machado, who started the game 0 for 4 with a strikeout, mashed a go-ahead, three-run homer in the top of the ninth off closer Joel Hanrahan to help the O's complete a come-from-behind victory. 

The 20-year-old has started slowly for the Orioles after coming up late in the season last year. The starting third baseman turned on the Hanrahan offering and sent it deep into the Green Monster seats. 

He finished 1 for 5 with the three RBI Wednesday and is now batting .200. He entered the game with only one RBI. 

The Nationals have a plan to rotate prospect Anthony Rendon through the infield this season, giving him four games at third base, two games at second base and one game at shortstop each week, a source told MASNsports.com.

Rendon is scheduled to make his fifth appearance at third base Wednesday after playing second base Tuesday. He has also made one appearance as Double-A Harrisburg's designated hitter.

Rendon is hitting .190/.393/.190 in 28 plate appearances so far this season.

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, who was given a start at designated hitter Wednesday in Texas, has hit well to begin the year with a .370 average entering the game. That said, this is the deepest into a season Longoria has ever gone without hitting a home run, MLB.com reports. 

"I just think they're not giving him pitches to hit for power with," manager Joe Maddon said. "That's part of the issue. His swing is outstanding. He's probably fouled back his pitch a couple of times. I think he looks really good at the plate also. I like his willingness to take the ball the other way right now. That's part of what I'd like to see us do more consistently. We talked about it last year. There's a lot of good stuff in the opposite field."

Longoria does not have any extra-base hits to this point with just three RBI and a .357 slugging percentage. 

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria made his first start of the season at DH Wednesday at Texas. Manager Joe Maddon told reporters it was planned because of Thursday's off-day and we could see a similar trend before or after off days this season.

Longoria entered play Wednesday batting .370 (10 for 27) with no extra-base hits and two RBI in eight games.

Eduardo Escobar made just his second start of the season Tuesday at Kansas City, but he was one of the few Twins' players to make an impact in a 7-4 loss. Escobar homered and drove in two runs, while going 3 for 4.

"I want to make sure everybody gets involved," manager Ron Gardehire said, per MLB.com. "'We'll mix it up and try to score more runs."

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura returned to the lineup Tuesday against the Cubs and had a productive performance.

After missing the previous contest due to a quad injury, he went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in a 6-3 loss.

Segura doubled home a run in his first at-bat before hitting a triple off Carlos Marmol in the eighth inning. He appeared to tweak his ankle on the three-bagger but remained in the game after being checked out by trainers.

The 23-year-old is batting .458 (11 for 24) through seven games with one homer and three RBI.

Brewers shortstop Jean Segura was back in the starting lineup Tuesday at the Cubs after missing the series opener with a minor thigh issue. Segura has hit in five of his first six games for a .450 batting average.

Strikeouts have stunted the progress of Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez during his brief major-league career and they continue to be a problem this season. Alvarez, who finished second in the National League with 180 strikeouts last year, has been punched out at least once in every game (12 total).

He is in the midst of an 0-for-17 slump and has struck out in eight of his past 10 at-bats and is hitting .080.

Despite heading into the season with just 51 games of experience at the major-league level, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was still lauded enough for his baseball acumen that he was installed as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup.

After starting the year with at least one strikeout in his first three games, Machado has sliced down on his whiffs and tallied just one strikeout in his past three outings while producing his first multihit performance in that span.

"You know, I'm a big leaguer and everyone here knows what they have to do in each position where you hit in the order," Machado told MASNsports.com about hitting second. "It's baseball mentality and everyone here has it. ... These are things you already should know."

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria reached base four times in a loss to Texas Monday. 

The All-Star third baseman went 3 for 3 to raise his average to .417. All three hits were singles and he scored a run.

Longoria has hit in all but one game with three multi-hit games. But he's yet to get his first extra-base hit and has just two RBI.