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| Morgan Ensberg has been released by the Rays, according to the St. Petersburg Times. |
Our View: Ensberg was surpised as he expected the Rays to send him to Triple-A. He is now hoping to find work with another club.
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| Morgan Ensberg went 0-2 on Saturday in the Rays' spring game against the Phillies. |
Our View: Ensberg only played in 28 games last year with the Yankees before getting released. If he makes the team and can recover some of his power from a few years ago, he could be an asset for the Rays. He shouldn't be expected to have any fantasy value.
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| ESPN.com reports that Morgan Ensberg, who signed with the Rays earlier in the day, is willing to play a corner outfield spot and second base for his new team. |
Our View: Traditionally, Ensberg has been a third baseman, but with Evan Longoria manning the position, he won't see much action on the hot corner. It looks like he will be a super utility veteran for the AL Champions.
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| Morgan Ensberg has agreed to a minor league deal with the Rays, according to ESPN. He will make a base salary of $650,000. |
Our View: He is on the decline and would not hold much fantasy value while backing up Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria at the corner infield spots.
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| According to DRays Bay, the Tampa Bay Rays are prepared to sign third baseman Morgan Ensberg. Terms of the deal were not reported. |
Our View: Once we actually substantiate this report, we will pass along the details to you. Ensberg was arguably one of the game's more powerful corner infielders at one time. From 2003-06, he hit 94 home runs and drove in 285 runs. Since then, he's produced just 13 and 43, respectively.
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| Morgan Ensberg was signed to a minor league deal by the Cleveland Indians according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. |
Our View: Ensberg will have to show he can still hit before being called up to the pro team. He hit .203 in 28 games earlier this season with the Yankees.
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| The Yankees have given Morgan Ensberg his release. He was designated for assignment by the club earlier this month. |
Our View: Ensberg batted just .203 in 74 at-bats with the Yanks. We're still wondering what got into him in 2005, because he's looked nothing like that player since.
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| The Yankees designated Morgan Ensberg for assignment on Sunday, the New York Daily News reports. |
Our View: The 32-year-old corner infielder hasn't hit consistently well for two or three years, but some club might claim him off waivers. We don't envision Morgan gaining much fantasy value, though.
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| Wilson Betemit, who homered Thursday in his first start since coming off the disabled list, is starting ahead of Morgan Ensberg for the second straight game.
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Our View: Ensberg isn't hitting, and Betemit is a better matchup against right-handers until Alex Rodriguez returns.
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| Morgan Ensberg could be an option at third base if Alex Rodriguez moves over to cover shortstop for the injured Derek Jeter (quad), according to the NY Post. Ensberg was solid at third base in Houston and is more than capable of starting for the Yankees, but it remains to be seen if Jeter will need to go on the DL or not. Wilson Betemit would also be a candidate for third base if A-Rod moves. |
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| Morgan Ensberg is batting .313 with five doubles in 32 at-bats this spring, and he credits his success to Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long. "It's shocking," Ensberg says on FOX Sports.com. "Everything he does is so simple. He gets rid of all of your excess motions, gets you down to a good foundation. I used to be a guy with eight different stances and eight different hand positions. Now I'm down to one. And it took only one session, one 15-minute deal in the batting cage. This is the most consistent 3-4 weeks of an approach I've had in my life." Despite Ensberg's success this spring, he still may not make the team. The Dodgers could be interested in him as a fill-in at the hot corner. |
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| The Yankees signed Morgan Ensberg to a minor-league contract Thursday, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. He'll compete for playing time at first base. "I'm extremely excited about it," Ensberg said. "It's a great team and a great lineup. Most importantly, it's a team that's consistently playing for a World Series. After you've been in the league for a few years, you really start valuing that pursuit." Jason Giambi, Shelley Duncan and Wilson Betemit are also in the mix at first. |
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| The Padres will not offer Morgan Ensberg a contract for next season. Ensberg's star has fallen dramatically since his breakout 2005 season, but some team looking for a third baseman (Florida?) could give him a look. |
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| Morgan Ensberg's debut with the Padres Thursday was a huge success. He hit two homers in the game, while picking up three hits in four at-bats. He also tallied four RBI and two runs. Despite the hot beginning to his tenure with the Pads, Ensberg is expected to be a role player, backing up third and first. |
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| The Padres view Morgan Ensberg, who they acquired just before Tuesday's trade deadline, as a role player, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. "He is not going to take Kevin Kouzmanoff's spot at third base," GM Kevin Towers said. "I see him as a role player." In addition to backing up Kouzmanoff's at third, he will also back up Adrian Gonzalez at first base. |
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| ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Padres are in line to receive Morgan Ensberg from the Astros. Ensberg could share time at third base with Kevin Kouzmanoff. It's unclear who the Astros received in the trade. |
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| The Astros designated Morgan Ensberg for assignment Sunday. The struggling Ensberg became expendable with the acquisition of Ty Wigginton Saturday, according to the AP. Ensberg was hitting .232 with eight homers and 31 RBI in 85 games. Given that he hit .283 with 36 homers and 101 RBI just two years ago, Ensberg should have no trouble latching on somewhere if the Astros aren't able to trade him. Mark McLemore was promoted from Triple-A Round Rock to take Ensberg's place on the roster. |
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| The arrival of Ty Wigginton could mean Morgan Ensberg's days with the Astros are nearing the end, according to the Houston Chronicle. Ensberg, Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta have split the starts at third this year, and the Astros will likely need to move one of those players before Tuesday's trade deadline; meanwhile, Wigginton is expected to settle in at third. |
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| Morgan Ensberg has been losing a lot of time lately to Mike Lamb and Mark Loretta. In fact, over the last seven games, Ensberg has started three times while Lamb and Loretta have seen two starts apiece. "Just [looking for] something," manager Phil Garner told MLB.com. "Offense. Something for the lineup to work a little bit. Maybe [Lamb] does it. We've had different lineups. The whole time that we've had this little rough stretch, nothing's worked." |
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| Mike Lamb started at third base Thursday in place of Morgan Ensberg, who played the entire 16 innings on Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle reports. Manager Phil Garner said Ensberg's sore left ankle, which forced him out of the lineup on Tuesday, wasn't a factor in starting Lamb. |
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| Morgan Ensberg was a late scratch Tuesday because of a hyperextended left ankle, according to the AP. It was uncertain how long he might be out of the lineup. Ensberg was in the original lineup, but was removed about 30 minutes before game time and was replaced by Mark Loretta. |
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| There is a chance that Morgan Ensberg could start the season hitting in the No. 2 spot in the Astros lineup. He went 1-for-3 with a solo homer while hitting second in the lineup on Tuesday. Last season, Ensberg hit .364 with a .483 on-base percentage when batting second. "I'll take a look at that," manager Phil Garner told the Houston Chronicle. "That's why I had him up there today." |
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| Morgan Ensberg is hitting .262 with one homer and five RBI since returning on the first of August from a shoulder injury. Although that's actually better than what Ensberg was hitting before the injury, manager Phil Garner still doesn't like what he's seeing from Ensberg at the plate, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I am concerned," Garner said. "He's just not hitting the ball well consistently. Morgan's a guy that we've seen in the last couple of years who goes to the plate, takes a mighty swing and gets results. To me, it looks like he's searching for the ball; he's just not letting it go. He's swinging not to miss it as opposed to swinging to hit it. We've talked about it numerous times, but he's struggling a little bit." |
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| The Astros activated Morgan Ensberg from the DL on Tuesday, according to the AP. He had been out with a right shoulder contusion. Ensberg was back at third base against the Padres on Tuesday night, batting fifth. |
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| In his first rehab game for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, Morgan Ensberg looked as if he was never injured, according to the Astros website. He went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, a walk, and four RBI, and is hoping to return to the Houston lineup on Tuesday. |
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| Morgan Ensberg hopes to come off the disabled list for Tuesday's game, though the Astros have yet to make a formal decision, according to the Houston Chronicle. Recovering from a right shoulder contusion, Ensberg has played in rehab games the past two days. |
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| Morgan Ensberg, who is on the DL with a right shoulder contusion, began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday, according to the AP. Ensberg will make two rehab starts this weekend and then be re-evaluated. He's been out with the injury since June 9. |
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| Morgan Ensberg took batting practice Thursday for the first time since going on the DL, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I like the fact I could see the ball and was able to touch the ball," Ensberg said. "I didn't like exactly how I did it every single time. Normally my BP rounds are a little bit crisper, but after having two or three weeks off I can understand that." Ensberg, who is out with a bruised shoulder, still isn't close to returning. |
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| Morgan Ensberg is still a long way away from returning from his right shoulder injury, according to the AP. Ensberg's arm felt stiff after some throwing drills on Saturday. "It's not a setback," manager Phil Garner said, "but that tells us he just doesn't have his arm strength." |
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| Morgan Ensberg, on the disabled list with a right shoulder contusion, is currently in Houston resting the shoulder, according to the AP. He is expected to rejoin the Astros on Friday in New York, although he's not eligible to come off the DL until July 24. |
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