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| John Lackey worked four innings for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. He allowed four hits and two runs, walked one, struck out four, threw a wild pitch, and hit two batters. "It's all about pitch count now," Lackey tells MLB.com. "My arm felt fine. My location was better today, and I had a good heater." The ace has been out all season due to a strained right triceps. He threw 68 pitches on Sunday. |
Our View: Lackey remains at least one minor league outing away from rejoining the Angels. Fantasy owners can tentatively plan on using him for the week of May 12-18. Let's hope he doesn't bean too many more minor leaguers in the meantime.
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| Howie Kendrick will rejoin the Angels in Kansas City on Monday and come off the DL, MLB.com reports. The second baseman has been out due to a strained left hamstring, and he proved he was ready with a fine rehab showing at High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. |
Our View: Fantasy owners can feel free to activate and use Kendrick in the week ahead.
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| Manager Jim Leyland plans to shake up the Tigers lineup on Monday, although he hasn't given out any details. "Same pieces, but quite a bit different (in the order they hit)," Leyland tells the Detroit Free Press. "I think you’ll find it pretty drastic." |
Our View: Curtis Granderson hitting third? Miguel Cabrera ninth? Marcus Thames in leadoff? What will happen? We can only wait and see, and we don't believe the moves will affect anyone's fantasy value much.
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| Eric Chavez doesn't expect to be activated when he becomes available on May 27. He is on the 60-day DL due to back problems. Chavez is able to swing without pain, but he can't handle third base duties, MLB.com reports. The club is not prepared to bring him back as a DH. |
Our View: Apparently the A's would rather have Frank Thomas at DH, huh? It sounds like fantasy owners need to continue to be patient.
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| The Cardinals demoted Anthony Reyes to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Reyes will return to a starting role in the minors. |
Our View: At this point, the best thing for Reyes may be a trade. He hasn't been able to make it work with the Cardinals, and we have to wonder if the organization has him screwed up in the head.
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| The Twins have called Kevin Slowey their probable starter for Thursday's game against the White Sox, the AP reports. Slowey is on the DL due to a strained right biceps. He made just one start (April 3) in the majors this year but boasts a 2.08 ERA through three minor league outings. |
Our View: Slowey has thrown well during his rehab, and we think he can help out AL-only teams, at the least. The only downside is that he hasn't gone more than five innings in any outing this year.
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| Huston Street picked up his ninth save by tossing a scoreless inning against the Rangers on Sunday. The closer has allowed only one run over his last 10 appearances (10.2 innings). |
Our View: Street was roughed up early in the year, but he has since reminded everyone that he's a darn good stopper.
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| Ian Gac hit his 10th and 11th home runs of the season for Low-A Clinton on Sunday. |
Our View: The 22-year-old has gotten some attention for his early-season numbers, but he is playing younger competition. Still, he struggled to hit for average in the past and is hitting .378 this season, so we have to be somewhat encouraged with his progress.
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| Rookie infielder German Duran provided the only fireworks in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the A's. Duran hit his first career home run in the third inning. It was also his first career extra-base hit. |
Our View: Duran is getting an extended look due to injuries (namely Hank Blalock). The rookie can hit and play three infield positions, and he could end up sticking around in a utility role.
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| Danny Graves picked up a win on Sunday out of the pen for Double-A New Britain to improve his record to 2-0. |
Our View: Just in case you were wondering what Cincinnati’s former closer and starting pitcher was doing these days. Don’t count on the 34-year-old having a fantasy impact anytime soon, much less reaching the majors.
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| Jack Cust is on a roll. The DH/outfielder went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's win over the Rangers. It was his third long ball over the last four games, and he is up to .244 after hitting .176 in April. |
Our View: Maybe Cust is the A's version of Adam LaRoche and simply despises April. We were just about ready to give up on the slugger, but this hot streak has renewed some of our faith.
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| Vladimir Guerrero went 1-for-4 against the Orioles on Sunday and was able to snap a 0-for-15 streak. His average is down to .256. |
Our View: We're not at all worried about Vlad. Yeah, he had one bad week. So what?
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| Greg Smith didn't pick up a win on Sunday, but he was impressive nonetheless. The rookie struck out 10 Rangers over six innings. Smith allowed only three hits and one run but took a no-decision. |
Our View: The southpaw continues to amaze. We didn't expect him to pitch so well in his first go through the league, but it looks like he's worth trusting in all fantasy formats.
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| Torii Hunter had only one hit on Sunday, but it was a three-run homer in the 6-5 win over the Orioles. |
Our View: Hunter hadn't been showing much pop recently, so it's nice to see him swat one out. He remains a very solid fantasy outfielder in all league types.
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| Melvin Mora went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and three runs in Sunday's loss to the Angels. |
Our View: The 36-year-old third baseman has been on the decline for a few seasons, but he's still useful in AL-only formats. We're actually surprised Melvin has swatted four homers thus far.
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| Joe Saunders can thank his teammates on Sunday. The southpaw improved to 6-0 despite serving up 12 hits over five innings. Saunders allowed four runs, walked none, and struck out one. |
Our View: The O''s obviously didn't take advantage of all their chances, but Saunders deserves some of the credit. He has arguably been the most surprising fantasy contributor this year.
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| Yawn. Joe Nathan calmly picked up his 11th save of the season on Sunday. He pitched a scoreless inning against the Tigers, and his ERA dipped to 0.69. |
Our View: Nathan, Jon Papelbon, and Mariano Rivera have all been absolutely brilliant thus far in 2008. Nobody should be surprised.
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| Placido Polanco went 2-for-4 with a double and a run against the Twins on Sunday. He is 16-for-42 (.381) over the last nine games. |
Our View: A nagging back ailment crushed Polanco's fantasy value throughout most of April, but the veteran has found his old groove. He's useful as a middle infielder in mixed leagues.
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| Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with a double, one run, and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Tigers. The catcher went 7-for-11 in the series and is up to .333. |
Our View: Mauer led the majors with a .347 average in 2006, and we know he's capable of long hot streaks when he avoids bumps and bruises. It's good to see him healthy and swinging well.
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| Curtis Granderson flexed his muscles again on Sunday. He swatted a leadoff homer against the Twins. He later added a single and swiped his first bag of the year. |
Our View: We're used to seeing Granderson do a bit of everything, and it's nice to see a line like Sunday's. He's a stud.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-for-4 with two runs and two steals in Sunday's win over the Rays. He is up to 25 runs and 11 stolen bases through 28 games. |
Our View: Ellsbury continues to evolve into Boston's version of Ichiro. The average isn't as high, but he's fixed himself atop that lineup and could end up battling for the MLB lead in runs.
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| Carlos Pena's all-or-nothing approach was evident on Sunday. The first baseman went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and three strikeouts against the Rays. |
Our View: Pena has actually looked better lately. He owns a seven-game hitting streak and hasn't been striking out quite so much. Carlos remains a useful fantasy first baseman, but we worry that his average won't reach 2007 levels.
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| What's gotten into Jon Lester? The southpaw held the Rays to four hits and one run on Sunday and improved to 2-2. Lester has been excellent in his last two outings after a rough start to his 2008 campaign. Following his work on Sunday, he now owns more strikeouts (27) than walks (26) this year. |
Our View: Lester is reportedly beginning to rely on his changeup more often, and the results look great thus far. He walks too many people to sport a great WHIP, but he can surely help in ERA and wins if he keeps this up.
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| Scott Kazmir's season debut didn't go as hoped. He allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) over four innings against the Red Sox. Kazmir walked three, struck out five, threw a wild pitch, and needed 90 pitches. He has been out all season due to a left elbow strain. |
Our View: The Rays could have made it a bit easier on Kazmir and waited until the club wasn't going into Fenway. We didn't expect Scott to come out perfect, and fantasy owners shouldn't be too shy about using him.
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| Kevin Youkilis hammered the Rays on Sunday. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer, two runs, and four RBI. As a result, his batting average jumped back up to .307. |
Our View: The Greek God of not making errors at first base has seen his average drop sharply over the last 10 games, and it's nice to see Youk post a solid outing. He remains a quality corner infielder in all types of fantasy leagues.
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| Darrell Rasner nailed down the win in his first start of the season against Seattle on Sunday, as he only allowed two runs on five hits over six innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. Most of the damage came off a two-run homer by Adrian Beltre. |
Our View: Rasner is worth targeting, as he could stick around in the rotation if he continues to pitch well, following Ian Kennedy's demotion. Rasner has a good arm and will be a hot waiver wire target this week.
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| Carlos Silva suffered his first loss of the season on Sunday, as the Mariners fell to the Yankees 8-2. Silva got rocked for eight runs on 11 hits over a mere three innings of work, with no walks and one strikeout. |
Our View: Silva was off to a great start, as he was 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 42 innings prior to today's nightmarish outing. See if you can lure him away for a reduced price following today's game.
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| Jhonny Peralta had a tough day at the plate in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Kansas City, as he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. |
Our View: Peralta has now struck out 25 times over 102 at-bats. He is providing decent power with five homers but only has 10 RBI over 27 games, with a .216 average.
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| Miguel Olivo went 2-for-4 with one RBI and crushed his fourth homer of the season in Sunday's 2-0 win over Cleveland. |
Our View: He has four homers and nine RBI over 51 at-bats, and served another game as the Royals' DH today.
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| Aaron Laffey pitched very well despite taking a loss to the Royals on Sunday. He only allowed one run on four hits over seven innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. Cleveland was shut out 2-0 in the loss. |
Our View: Laffey would have won if not for poor run support.
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| Gil Meche threw seven scoreless innings and only allowed four hits in Sunday's 2-0 win over Cleveland. He had no walks and four strikeouts. |
Our View: Meche improved to 2-4 and lowered his ERA to 5.98. That was a great outing for him today, but his fantasy stock still remains low. Now would be a good time to trade him if you can get a favorable offer for him.
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| Jermaine Dye had a tough day at the plate in Sunday's 4-3 loss to Toronto. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, while leaving two men on base. |
Our View: Dye has been slowed by a groin ailment, and only registered one hit over his last 20 at-bats. Keep him on your bench until he gets back on track and proves himself worthy of your starting lineup again.
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| Roy Halladay improved his record to 3-4 in Sunday's 4-3 win over the White Sox. Halladay only allowed three runs on three hits over 7.1 innings, with seven strikeouts and no walks. |
Our View: He lowered his ERA to 3.00 as well. He registered his highest strikeout total of the season today, and this was also the first start that he did not allow a walk. He earned his title of Jays' staff ace today.
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| Sean Rodriguez has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the OC Register. The team placed pitcher Dustin Moseley on the DL due to right forearm stiffness. |
Our View: Rodriguez was recalled to provide depth in the Angels' infield, which is without Howie Kendrick, Maicer Izturis, and Chone Figgins right now. Rodriguez started on Sunday at second base against Baltimore and is batting ninth in the order. He shouldn't be around long enough to merit fantasy consideration.
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| Chone Figgins will have his injured hamstring re-evaluated on Monday but said he was feeling a lot better, according to the OC Register. He said, "It’s not pulled. It’s just a slight strain."
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Our View: The team recalled Sean Rodriguez from Triple-A Salt Lake to provide depth in the infield, as Maicer Izturis and Howie Kendrick are also currently out of action. We will keep you posted on Figgins' status, but his injury doesn't appear to be serious.
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| Dustin Moseley has been placed on the DL due to stiffness in his right forearm, according to the OC Register. The Angels also recalled infielder Sean Rodriguez from Triple-A Salt Lake. |
Our View: Moseley won't be missed by fantasy owners as he held a 7.85 ERA and 1.92 WHIP over 28.2 innings. Rodriguez was brought in for depth due to injuries to Chone Figgins, Maicer Izturis, and Howie Kendrick.
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| The Tigers stated that Dontrelle Willis has tweaked his right knee while fielding a ball during Friday night's rehab start in Toledo, according to MLive.com. Willis went through conditioning drills this morning, but it was then determined that he won't be ready to start another game this week. Instead of pitching for Toledo on Wednesday, as originally scheduled, Willis will remain with the Tigers and try to throw a bullpen session on Thursday or Friday. The Tigers have recalled his rehab assignment, therefore stopping the clock.
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Our View: Rehab assignments for starting pitchers can only last a total of 30 days. Manager Jim Leyland has told reporters he wants to see Willis make two rehab starts in Toledo before discussions of his return to the Tigers begin.
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| Scott Baker will have an MRI exam on his strained right groin muscle on Monday, according to the Star Tribune. The team will have a better idea of how to proceed with the injury at that point. |
Our View: The Twins could play it safe, and place Baker on the DL. The team could then call up Kevin Slowey to start on Thursday against Chicago.
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| Joe Saunders will be looking to remain unbeaten when the Angels host the Orioles tonight, according to MLB.com. Saunders is 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA and excellent 0.95 WHIP this season, and was 2-0 against Baltimore with a 4.91 ERA in 2007. |
Our View: Saunders only has 20 strikeouts over 43.1 innings, but he is strong in the other important categories, and should remain in your lineups if you were lucky enough to land him.
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| Justin Ruggiano has been optioned back to Triple-A Durham, according to the Tampa Tribune. The team needed to free up a roster spot for ace pitcher Scott Kazmir's return to the rotation, and Ruggiano was seen as expendable. |
Our View: Ruggiano was just brough in as insurance for BJ Upton, but Upton is fine and returned to the Rays' lineup on Sunday.
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| Scott Kazmir has been activated from the DL and made his scheduled start against Boston on Sunday, according to the Tampa Tribune. He said, "It feels like it's been forever. Fenway, you're definitely going to have the adrenaline going. The atmosphere's always going to be there. So you're going to have to harness it a little bit, the adrenalin and everything, but I'm just going to try and stay within myself like I try to do every start." Outfielder Justin Ruggiano was optioned back to Triple-A to clear a roster spot for Kazmir.
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Our View: Fantasy owners should be rewarded for their patience, but shouldn't set their expectations too high in his first game back. We will update you on his performance following the game.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury is starting in left field for the Red Sox today, according to the Boston Herald. David Ortiz is out of action to rest his knee, and Manny Ramirez moved from left field to DH in place of Ortiz. Ellsbury covered Manny's spot in left. |
Our View: Ellsbury is hitting .293 over 82 at-bats with three homers, 12 RBI, and 23 runs. He is also yet to be caught on nine steal attempts. He will be a fantasy star when he gets his chance to play every day. For now, you'll just have to settle for sporadic starts here and there.
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| David Ortiz was a late scratch for Sunday action due to tightness in his right knee, according to the Boston Herald. This is the same knee that was surgically repaired in the offseason and has been sore off and on this season. Manny Ramirez was switched from left field to DH, and Jacoby Ellsbury covered the spot in left field. |
Our View: Ortiz has been hot as he racked up eight hits over his last four games, and his knee shouldn't hinder his performance.
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| John Bale has sustained a broken hand after punching the door at the team hotel on Friday, according to the Kansas City Star. Bale punched the door out of frustration for his slow recovery from a fatigued left shoulder. Manager Trey Hillman said, "I’m not pleased, obviously. Players have to think before they do things. They’ve got to think about how it’s going to affect the rest of their team, how it’s going to affect their ability to perform and how it’s going to affect the whole group. I’m hopeful that there’s something salvageable for him. We’ll just have to wait to see where it goes."
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Our View: Bale reportedly won't be returning to active duty any time soon. He held a 1.83 WHIP and 7.63 ERA over 15.1 innings, with eight strikeouts, and isn't worth waiting for as a fantasy prospect.
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| Darrell Rasner has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton to start today's game against Seattle, according to the AP. The struggling Ian Kennedy has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton. |
Our View: Rasner went 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in five starts for Scranton. The righty also held a 1-3 record with a 4.01 ERA in six starts with New York last season. Rasner is not a top pitching prospect like Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, but he has a good arm and will get his chance to prove his worth, starting today. He is worth a look if you need help at pitcher.
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| Ian Kennedy has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton on Sunday, according to the AP. Darrell Rasner has been recalled from Scranton to start today's game against Seattle. They also transferred Brian Bruney to the 60-day DL. |
Our View: Kennedy was struggling as he is 0-2 with a 8.37 ERA and 2.03 WHIP over 23.2 innings, with 20 walks. He wasn't helping prior to his demotion, and should not be missed from fantasy lineups.
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| Carlos Gomez wants to return to the Twins' lineup today after getting hit in the head with a pitch on Friday, according to the Star Tribune. Gomez said he wants to play in today's game against Detroit, but Twins third base coach Scott Ullger said Gomez might sit again. The Twins are off Monday, which would give Gomez a full three-day break before they open a series in Chicago on Tuesday.
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Our View: Gomez was diagnosed with a contusion, not a concussion.
GM Bill Smith said the team continues to monitor Gomez but has not felt the need to have him undergo a CT scan.
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| Sean Casey stated he is fully recovered from his right hip strain and likely will be coming off the DL on the first day he is eligible in one week, according to the Boston Herald. He is also scheduled to start a two-game rehab stint with Pawtuckett on Thursday. |
Our View: Casey hit .346 with eight RBI over 52 at-bats this season, but won't hold much fantasy value when he returns, as Mike Lowell is back healthy at third base and Kevin Youkilis is firmly planted at first base.
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| Placido Polanco's back ailment has subsided and he is playing without pain (for the first time since spring training), according to MLB.com. He said, "It's good. It's the best that I've felt in a while, including spring training. Without a doubt. The way I'm moving, right, left, running, mood-wise, everything is better."
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Our View: He has missed five games with the ailment, but since returning to action a week and a half ago, he's batting 14-for-38 through Saturday with four doubles, two home runs, nine runs scored and five RBI. Saturday also marked his ninth consecutive start since returning. His fantasy stock is back on the rise, and is worth targeting now if you can lure him away for a low price.
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| Chone Figgins left Saturday's game in the eighth inning because of an apparent right hamstring injury, according to the OC Register. Figgins seemed to limp as he walked away from the plate and was replaced defensively after that inning. Figgins left the stadium immediately after the game to undergo an MRI exam. Manager Mike Sciosca commented, "With hamstrings, you're always concerned. We don't know what degree this is. We'll wait and see. Obviously we'll be cautious."
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Our View: The Angels already have infielders Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis on the DL, and the team is likely to reach down to Triple-A Salt Lake for either Sean Rodriguez or Matt Brown. Both have already spent time with the Angels this season. We will keep you posted on Figgins' MRI results and his playing status.
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| Jordan Brown has been placed on the 15-day DL at Triple-A, according to the Buffalo News. He sustained a knee injury, and has been replaced by Cleveland's former top draft pick Michael Aubrey. |
Our View: Brown was batting .271 in 25 games for the Bisons with an International League-leading 11 doubles and 10 RBIs. He will get his chance to play in the majors, but he holds no fantasy value for the immediate future.
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| The Yankees are reportedly talking about the future of Ian Kennedy in their rotation, according to the NY Post. Manager Joe Girardi stated, "We will have some more discussions. We don't need a fifth starter until May 10, so we have some time." Kennedy is struggling as he is 0-2 with a 8.37 ERA and 2.03 WHIP over 23.2 innings, with 20 walks.
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Our View: The Yankees have three options. They can start Kennedy Wednesday against Cleveland, hold him back until May 10 versus Detroit, or send him to the minors to gain more experience. Girardi also mentioned that it could be beneficial to get Kennedy some work in the bullpen until a fifth starter is needed.
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