former major leaguers in the minors

Thanks for the question Hitman. I'll address them individually.

Espinosa: My guess is his job is totally dependent upon on how well Rendon is playing. In my opinion, Espinosa has always been a much better fantasy player than real baseball player. Never had an OBP higher than .323 and he's a strikeout machine. Rendon projects to be a much better major leaguer so if he's playing well, there's no reason Espinosa should get his job back. He's only 26 so the Nats really should look to move him in a trade.

Ackley: If he continues to rake like he has, there's no reason for him to stay in the minors. Brendan Ryan is a TERRIBLE major league hitter. Really just putrid. I know his glove is one of the best in the league but a 31-year old with a career OBP of .302 has no business being an everyday player. The Mariners would be wise to bring Ackley back and move Franklin to shortstop. Ryan can be a late game defensive replacement, a role he's much more suited for. The Mariners have gotten some decent pitching this year so they need to offensive boost.

Ramirez: As for Ramirez, I think the M's are trying to showcase some of their older talent in Bonderman, Harang and Saunders in the hopes that some contender will want to bring in a veteran presence for the stretch run. As a result, the 23-year old Ramirez may have a bit longer to wait before getting the call. It's unfortunate because I find it hard to believe anyone would actually want Bonderman, Harang or Saunders so I think the M's are retarding Ramirez's development. He doesn't really have much more to prove in the minors. It's time he started getting a bigger taste of MLB.