|
|
| Lucas May went 3-for-4 with his second home run of the season for Double-A Jacksonville on Monday. He is now hitting .364-2-6 for the season. |
Our View: May was drafted as an infielder out of high school, but he has made a nice conversion to catcher. He hit 25 homers last season at High-A, and if his hitting continues to develop, he could be a future starting catcher in the majors and on fantasy squads. Of course, that is unlikely to happen as long as he stays with the Dodgers due to the presence of Russell Martin.
|
|
|
|
| Sean Burnett, a former top starting pitching prospect for Pittsburgh, is Triple-A Indianapolis’ closer and now has three saves after pitching a scoreless inning Monday night. |
Our View: The left-handed groundball pitcher hardly profiles as a closer, but he has shown the control to be a serviceable major league pitcher in the past. Don’t be surprised if the Pirates bring him up for relief innings after eight scoreless innings at Indy, but he seems unlikely to help fantasy owners anytime soon, if ever.
|
|
|
|
| George Kottaras hit two home runs and knocked in five runs as the DH for Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday night. Kottaras is trying to rebound from a disappointing 2007 season in which he hit .241-9-39 in 294 at-bats at Triple-A. |
Our View: Once considered a top prospect with the Padres, Kottaras’ didn’t look like he had much major league potential by the end of last season. He has been identified more for his bat than his glove in the past, so it’s good to see his early power performance.
|
|
|
|
| Curtis Granderson will test his right hand by taking batting practice on Tuesday, the AP reports. |
Our View: Granderson's timetable may become a little clearer after this session. He is probably still at least a week away, provided he doesn't have any setbacks.
|
|
|
|
| Kurt Suzuki went 4-for-4 against the White Sox on Monday. He had three singles, a double, and an RBI. His average rose to .370. |
Our View: Suzuki had been in a little slump, going 1-for-13 in his last four games. He also hadn't had an extra base hit since playing in Japan. Suzuki remains a decent No. 2 backstop in mixed leagues.
|
|
|
|
| Mark Buehrle took a tough loss on Monday, which seems to happen often to him against the A's. The southpaw allowed only two runs over seven innings, but the White Sox managed to plate only one guy. Buehrle served up nine hits, walked one, and struck out four. He is 3-10 in his career against the A's. |
Our View: The key news is that Buehrle has now pitched well twice since his opening disaster, and maybe he'll put to rest some of those rumors about an injury.
|
|
|
|
| Greg Smith was excellent on Monday night. He held the White Sox to six hits and one run over seven innings and picked up his first major league win. The rookie walked one and struck out four. |
Our View: Smith had a wildly effective showing in his first major league start, and he was better this time around. He is worth a look in AL-only leagues.
|
|
|
|
| Francisco Rodriguez picked up his fourth save on Monday and posted his first scoreless outing in over a week. The elite closer had been struggling and missing time due to a sore ankle. He worked a hitless frame against the Rangers and needed only seven pitches. |
Our View: That's an excellent sign for K-Rod. He remains a top-five fantasy closer despite his early issues.
|
|
|
|
| Milton Bradley went 3-for-4 with a run on Monday night. He had missed the previous two games after fouling a pitch off his right leg. |
Our View: Bradley looked just fine. Fantasy owners can feel free to use him going forward.
|
|
|
|
| Mike Napoli socked his fourth homer of the young season on Monday. The backstop was appearing in only his ninth game, and he is also up to 10 RBI. |
Our View: Napoli swatted 29 and 31 homers back in 2004 and 2005 (in the minors), and we came into this season knowing he had good power potential. Let's not get carried away, though. He didn't turn into a young Mike Piazza over the winter.
|
|
|
|
| Hank Blalock hammered his second homer of the season on Monday night. He finished the evening 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI. |
Our View: Blalock had one one RBI coming into the night, but we weren't overly worried.
|
|
|
|
| Ervin Santana picked up his second road win of the season by holding down the Rangers on Monday. The right-hander allowed seven hits and three runs over seven innings. He also walked three and struck out six. |
Our View: It's no mystery that Santana has good stuff. The youngster just needs to figure out how to be more consistent. He has been very solid in all three outings this year, which is an excellent sign.
|
|
|
|
| Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless inning and picked up his fifth save on Monday. The Red Sox gave the elite closer the night off on Sunday. |
Our View: There was never any worry of Papelbon being injured, but he proved it anyway on Monday.
|
|
|
|
| Joe Borowski blew up again on Monday. He allowed four hits and three runs in the ninth inning against the Red Sox. Manny Ramirez topped off the damage with a two-run homer. |
Our View: It's nearly a full-blown epidemic in Cleveland, as top setup men Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez are also struggling.
|
|
|
|
| Jon Lester struggled to find the strike zone again on Monday. He walked five batters over 4.1 innings against the Indians and has now issued 15 free passes in 20.1 frames this season. Lester also allowed five hits and four runs on Monday, and his ERA rose to 5.31. |
Our View: We knew going into the season that control would be a key factor for Lester, and he's failing the test thus far.
|
|
|
|
| Travis Hafner went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBI in Monday's loss to the Red Sox. Pronk has driven in 10 runs over 13 games. |
Our View: The DH has had a rough spring, but he's looked fine in the regular campaign.
|
|
|
|
| David Ortiz went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles on Monday night. He entered the night 3-for-43 on the season. |
Our View: It's a start, right? It's only a matter of time before Big Papi clicks in.
|
|
|
|
| Jake Westbrook kept the Red Sox fairly quiet on Monday, allowing two runs (one earned) over 6.1 innings. He served up seven hits, walked three, and struck out five. The Indians bullpen ended up blowing a 4-1 lead and a win opportunity. |
Our View: Westbrook wasn't as sharp as he was in his previous two outings, but the numbers were still good enough. He could easily be 3-0, rather than 1-1, at this point.
|
|
|
|
| Kevin Youkilis kept the good times rolling on Monday. He hit two doubles and a homer against the Indians and finished the night with a pair of RBI. Youkilis has driven in nine runs over the past seven contests. |
Our View: He's clearly found his happy place.
|
|
|
|
| The Twins are in town, and somebody woke up Magglio Ordonez. The outfielder went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and one run in Monday's win. Ordonez went 1-for-10 in a weekend series against the White Sox, and he entered this contest with a career .320 average against the AL Central rival. |
Our View: Maggs has hit a lot of teams hard over the years, but the Twins seem to be one of his favorite opponents.
|
|
|
|
| Jason Kubel continues to produce. The outfielder/DH went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in Monday's loss to the Tigers. Kubel is 8-for-24 with two homers and nine RBI in six games during the current road trip. |
Our View: Kubel's bat came alive during the second half in 2007, and it's beginning to look like that wasn't a fluke. It's still early, of course, but he could be headed towards a breakout year.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Guillen went 3-for-4 with a double, one run, and three RBI in Monday's win over the Twins. It was his first game back after missing two contests due to a strained right hamstring. |
Our View: The time off clearly didn't affect Guillen's bat.
|
|
|
|
| Nick Blackburn looked good in his first two outings of the year, but he ran into a sleeping Tigers club on Monday. The rookie hurler allowed eight hits and four runs over 5.2 innings and failed to record a strikeout. |
Our View: Blackburn clearly wasn't at his best, but he pitched a lot better than the two hurlers who came in after him. The rookie is still worth using in AL-only formats.
|
|
|
|
| The Tigers offense finally showed life on Monday, and Ivan Rodriguez led the way. He went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, two runs, and three RBI against the Twins. |
Our View: It's only a matter of time before this potent lineup breaks out in a big way.
|
|
|
|
| Delmon Young went 3-for-5 with a double, three runs, two RBI, and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Tigers. |
Our View: We're still waiting for Delmon's first homer as a Twin, but maybe this strong outing will get him going.
|
|
|
|
| Carl Crawford hit his first homer of the season on Monday, a two-run shot. He went 2-for-4 with three RBI against the Yankees and has five RBI over the last two games. |
Our View: Crawford is off to a good start on the basepaths, but his bat was a little quiet. We have the utmost faith that he'll get his average up near or above .300 soon.
|
|
|
|
| Mariano Rivera cleaned up the bullpen's mess on Monday and recorded his fourth save of the season. Rivera worked a spotless 1.1 innings after Billy Traber and Brian Bruney allowed four runs over 1.2 frames. |
Our View: Rivera is erasing memories of his down 2007 by opening this season with five scoreless outings.
|
|
|
|
| Evan Longoria is on the board. The rookie third baseman hit the first home run of his major league career on Monday. He sent one deep in the seventh inning off Yankees reliever Brian Bruney. Longoria also hit the first double of his career in the fourth inning. |
Our View: The 22-year-old has many, many more homers in his future. He may have opened the year in the minors, but he has the talent to be a top-10 fantasy third baseman by the end of the season.
|
|
|
|
| Robinson Cano came off the bench on Monday and hit a solo shot in the eighth inning against the Rays. Cano's homer ended a 7-7 tie and proved to be the game-winner. |
Our View: Fantasy owners know Cano is typically a second-half guy, but his frigid start has still been a bit tough to stomach. He hadn't scored a run until Monday night.
|
|
|
|
| B.J. Upton went 2-for-5 with a homer, one run, two RBI, and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Yankees. It was his second straight game with a homer, and he has nine RBI over the previous five contests. |
Our View: Upton has a breakout campaign in 2007, and our only question now is just how good he will be. He's off to a strong start in this young season.
|
|
|
|
| George Sherrill saved his sixth game of the season on Monday, but he also served up a two-run homer to Alex Rios. The southpaw hadn't allowed a hit or run in each of his previous five outings. |
Our View: We obviously didn't expect Sherrill to stay perfect, and he was fortunate to have a three-run lead.
|
|
|
|
| Johnny Damon started Monday's game with a solo homer and he added a two-run double in the fourth inning. He finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and three RBI. |
Our View: Damon managed only one multi-hit game over the previous 12 contests, so it's good to see him have a strong outing.
|
|
|
|
| Adam Jones went 3-for-3 with three singles, a walk, and a stolen base on Monday night. He was also caught stealing. |
Our View: Jones struck out four times on Sunday, and it was good to see him bounce back so quickly. The young outfielder is talented, but we're likely to see a lot of ups and downs in 2008.
|
|
|
|
| Alex Rios didn't start on Monday, but he hit his first homer of the season in a ninth inning, pinch-hit appearance. |
Our View: Rios had been in a mini-rut, striking out 10 times over the previous five games. Hopefully this homer will help him find a groove.
|
|
|
|
| Matt Albers delivered beautifully on Monday. He held the Blue Jays to five hits and one run over five innings and improved to 2-0. Albers was making a spot start. |
Our View: Albers has yet to allow a run over 11.1 innings this year, and he is pushing for a spot in the rotation. He wasn't able to win a job in spring training, but he's giving the O's ample reason to re-think that call.
|
|
|
|
| Dustin McGowan allowed 10 hits and three runs over six innings against the Orioles on Monday night. He also walked one, struck out five, and fell to 0-1, as the Blue Jays lost 4-3. |
Our View: It wasn't McGowan's best outing, but he has pitched well enough to win in each of his three starts. Hopefully his luck changes soon.
|
|
|
|
| Kevin Millar went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI in Monday's win over the Blue Jays. |
Our View: The veteran nearly doubled his RBI total for the year. Millar remains a useful player in AL-only formats, but he's not much of a mixed league asset.
|
|
|
|
| Matt Kemp is back in the starting lineup on Monday night against the Pirates. He hadn't been penciled in since April 9, a span of three games. |
Our View: The Dodgers logjam continues. Fantasy owners have to be patient with Kemp, who has the skills to produce excellent numbers if the Dodgers play him every day.
|
|
|
|
| John Bowker is not in the lineup on Monday, despite hitting homers in each of his first two major league games. Dan Ortmeier is starting in left field. |
Our View: Bowker is presumably being benched because he's a left-handed hitter and the Giants are facing Randy Johnson. We'd expect the rookie to see some more action on Tuesday or possibly as a pinch-hitter later on Monday night.
|
|
|
|
| Adrian Beltre is listed as the starter for Monday's game against the Royals. He sat out on Sunday due to a tight right hamstring. |
Our View: Feel free to use Beltre as you normally would.
|
|
|
|
| Adam LaRoche is not listed in Monday's lineup against the Dodgers. He is presumably still dealing with the illness that kept him out on Sunday. Doug Mientkiewicz will start at first. |
Our View: LaRoche is a career .172 hitter in April, and this illness just gives fantasy owners an even better excuse to bench him.
|
|
|
|
| Freddy Sanchez is listed as the starter at second base and the second hitter for Monday's game against the Dodgers. He has been dealing with right shoulder pain and been in and out of the lineup. |
Our View: Fantasy owners will need to continue to be patient with Sanchez, who also endured an awful April in 2007.
|
|
|
|
| Rod Barajas isn't starting on Monday night, but he is available off the bench, MLB.com reports. The backstop tweaked his groin on Sunday. |
Our View: Barajas will continue to split time with starter Gregg Zaun moving forward.
|
|
|
|
| Ian Kennedy left Monday's outing in the seventh inning after taking a line drive off his right hip, the Ticker notes. He allowed eight hits and three runs over six full frames. |
Our View: The key part of the note is that Kennedy actually made it into the seventh inning. The rookie right-hander struggled in his first two starts, but he was sharper on Monday night. We'll update his injury status when more is known.
|
|
|
|
| Alex Rios received a night off on Monday, MLB.com reports. Matt Stairs moved into his right field slot, and the Jays rearranged their lineup to adjust to life without Rios. |
Our View: Fantasy owners shouldn't freak out when they don't see Rios' name in the box score.
|
|
|
|
| David DeJesus will be back in the lineup on Monday night, MLB.com confirms. He missed the previous 11 games due to a sprained left ankle. DeJesus originally tweaked his ankle on March 24, and he aggravated the injury on March 30. |
Our View: The interesting storyline now becomes the corner outfield spots, as Trey Hillman wants to try and find playing time for Joey Gathright. Of course, DeJesus still needs to prove that he's fully healthy.
|
|
|
|
| Alex Rodriguez hit his 521st career homer on Monday night. The long ball ties him with Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 15th place on the all-time list. |
Our View: If his head wasn't frozen right now, Williams would probably be cursing.
|
|
|
|
| The Tigers will be cautious with Dontrelle Willis as he tries to come back from a hyperextended right knee, MLB.com reports. That means Willis may not be activated as soon as his 15 days are up. The southpaw says he is not dealing with any pain, only stiffness. |
Our View: By "cautious," we assume that means the Tigers won't bring Dontrelle back until he can throw strikes again. They have enough other problems right now that they don't need this wayward southpaw allowing a free pass or two every inning.
|
|
|
|
| Jamey Wright has been unavailable in recent days due to a "floating rib" in his lower left back, MLB.com reports. The veteran right-hander could have come in on Sunday, if necessary. "I've had oblique injuries twice before, and this wasn't it" Wright explains. "We treated it with ultrasound and a lot of ice. I'm ready to go. When the phone rings, I'll do what I'm told." |
Our View: Ah, yes, the ol' floating rib injury. What the heck? Can you tape that up? Admittedly, this is a new one to us.
|
|
|
|
| As expected, Torii Hunter is back in the center field on Monday. He sat out on Sunday to rest his sore big left toe and served as the DH on Saturday. |
Our View: We didn't expect Hunter to miss more than that one game.
|
|
|
|
| Updating an earlier report, the Angels will wait a few days before making a move regarding Howie Kendrick. The second baseman injured his left hamstring on Sunday. "We’re going to give it a day or two to read it," manager Mike Scioscia tells the AP. "With hamstrings you have to be cautious. We don’t want him to come back too quick and we don’t want to put him on the DL too quickly." Maicer Izturis will start at second while Kendrick is out. |
Our View: Fantasy owners can only hope that Kendrick does indeed return within a few days. The youngster can hit, but he's had trouble staying off the DL in his brief career.
|
|
|
|
| The A's called up veteran Kirk Saarloos on Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He will work as a long reliever. |
Our View: Given the injuries to and the age of the rotation, Saarloos could fall into some starts as the season continues. He shouldn't be counted on in fantasy leagues, though.
|
|
|
|
| Michael Cuddyer is aiming to return on Sunday. He had the stitches removed from his right index finger on Monday. "If it's not right on that day, then somewhere around that day for sure," Cuddyer tells MLB.com. "I don't foresee this being an extra week or anything like that." |
Our View: Fantasy owners can tentatively plan to get Cuddyer back into their lineups next week.
|
|
|
|
| Scott Rolen showed up in the Blue Jays clubhouse on Monday night. He informs the Toronto Star that he's ahead of schedule on his rehab. Rolen is throwing (but not fielding), and he took batting practice on Monday. He is out due to a broken right middle finger and could be back by the end of the month. |
Our View: We'll all be happy when someone other than Marco Scutaro and Joe Inglett are holding down the hot corner for the Blue Jays. We'll continue to monitor Rolen's progress.
|
|
|
|
| Alex Gonzalez received bad news on Monday when an MRI revealed that he still has a compression fracture in his left knee, MLB.com reports. He has been out since early in spring training and won't be cleared to run for another two-to-four weeks. |
Our View: On the flip side of the coin, this news bodes well for fantasy owners employing Jeff Keppinger. The backup, utility infielder should continue to start at shortstop while Gonzalez remains out.
|
|
|
|
| Hong-Chih Kuo will start against the Pirates on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times confirms. He will replace Esteban Loaiza in the rotation. Kuo started one other game this season due to weather conditions, but he was previously looked at as a long reliever. |
Our View: Kuo has yet to allow a run over 6.2 innings this year, but his career 5.03 ERA speaks louder than his limited work this season. Proceed with much caution.
|
|
|
|
| Jerry Owens went 0-for-4 in his first rehab game for Triple-A Charlotte on Sunday. He is out due to a small tear his in right adductor muscle, but the White Sox might not have a spot for him even when he's ready, the Chicago Tribune reports. |
Our View: Nick Swisher has been solid in center and in the leadoff spot, and Carlos Quentin is swinging well out of left field. The outfield logjam was a worry point all spring, and Owens looks like the odd-man out, for now.
|
|
|
|
| Dioner Navarro had the stitches removed from the middle and ring fingers on his right hand on Monday. The catcher proceeded to take cuts off a tee and make throws in the outfield, the Tampa Tribune reports. Navarro is eligible to return on Sunday, but the team isn't sure if he'll be ready by then. |
Our View: Navarro followed up a strong spring with a 3-for-9 start, and we hope the injury won't cause him to turn back into a useless hitter. We'll continue to update his status.
|
|
|
|
| R.A. Dickey has floated his way back to the majors. The Mariners called up the knuckleballer on Monday, the AP confirms. |
Our View: Dickey can work in long relief or offer a spot start, but we advise fantasy owners not to count on him.
|
|
|
|
| Eddie Guardado is expected to return to action on Saturday, the Dallas Morning News reports. He is on the DL due to a sore left shoulder. |
Our View: Injuries continue to be a problem for Guardado, who was a pretty good closer as recently as July and August of 2006. The Rangers are a little unsettled at the back of the bullpen, but we don't imagine they'll count too heavily on Eddie until he proves he can stay off the DL.
|
|
|
|
| Arthur Rhodes is back in the majors. The veteran reliever missed all of 2007 following Tommy John surgery, but the Mariners called him up on Monday, the AP reports. |
Our View: Rhodes is a journeyman southpaw who had his best seasons with the Mariners in 2001 and 2002. We don't expect him to be worth owning in any fantasy leagues, including AL-only formats.
|
|
|
|
| The Rangers have called up Wes Littleton to replace Scott Feldman, who got a spot start on Sunday, the Dallas Morning News reports. |
Our View: Littleton has no fantasy value, and he could be headed back to Triple-A very soon.
|
|
|
|
| The Mariners optioned Eric O'Flaherty to Double-A West Tenn on Monday, the AP reports. The reliever owned a 20.25 ERA over seven outings. |
Our View: If this news affects your fantasy baseball team, you have some serious roster issues.
|
|
|
|
| Adam Jones will be back in the lineup on Monday despite going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Sunday, the Baltimore Sun confirms. |
Our View: Jones is off to a bit of a rough start following a solid spring, but the Orioles have no reason not to stick with him. Adam has a long future in their outfield, and they'll have to deal with the ups and downs that will likely come throughout 2008.
|
|
|
|
| The Mariners placed Mike Morse on the 15-day DL on Monday, one day after he dislocated his left shoulder, the AP reports. |
Our View: This news shouldn't affect fantasy teams, although some AL-only owners may have taken a flier on Morse after his hot spring.
|
|
|
|
| Matt Albers will start for the Orioles on Monday night against the Blue Jays. The club is hoping to get five innings out of the right-hander, the Baltimore Sun reports. |
Our View: Albers has been serving as a long reliever, but the Orioles need him on Monday because they had a double-header last Wednesday. This may just be a one-start outing, although Albers nearly made the rotation this spring.
|
|
|
|
| Carlos Guillen is listed as the starter at first base for Monday's game against the Twins, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Guillen has missed two games due to a strained right hamstring. |
Our View: Fantasy owners should keep Guillen in their lineups this week, as even four or five games out of him is likely better than any backup option you'll find.
|
|
|
|
| Scott Kazmir threw two innings of extended spring training action on Monday. He tossed 25 pitches, using fastballs, sliders, and changeups, the Tampa Tribune reports. The ace will make a three or four-inning start for High-A Vero Beach on Friday, and his timetable points to a May 3 return to the majors. Kazmir is out due to a left elbow strain. |
Our View: We'll continue to monitor Kazmir's progress. Now that he's actually pitching in games, it feels like the timetable is more reliable.
|
|
|
|
| Placido Polanco is listed as the starter at second base and will bat second on Monday night, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. He has been dealing with lower back soreness. |
Our View: Fantasy owners should feel free to use Polanco this week, even though he's not swinging well early in the year.
|
|
|
|
| Jed Lowrie is set to make his first major league start on Tuesday, either at third base or shortstop, the Boston Globe reports. It could also be his major league debut, as the rookie has yet to see any game action since getting called up. |
Our View: Lowrie is the team's long-term answer at shortstop, but his time isn't quite here.
|
|
|
|
| Fernando Rodney is headed to Alabama to meet with Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. The reliever has been dealing with right shoulder tendinitis. "He still isn’t able to get over the hump," head athletic trainer Kevin Rand informs the Detroit Free Press. "He still isn’t able to extend and get out there and finish." Previous exams have shown no major damage in the joint. |
Our View: We always hold our breath when a player visits Dr. Andrews, as it often turns into a serious surgery. We can only wait and see on Rodney.
|
|
|
|
