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| Ryan Garko continued his hot hitting Monday, ripping a three-run homer in the first inning and adding another RBI later in the Tribe's 8-2 win over Detroit. Garko has 14 RBI over the last seven games. |
Our View: Ryan got off to a horrible start, but he's making up for it lately.
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| Dontrelle Willis was absolutely horrendous Monday night, allowing eight runs on three hits and five walks over 1 1/3 innings. Dontrelle's ERA on the year now sits at 10.32, and he's handed out 21 free passes in 11 1/3 innings. |
Our View: We didn't like Willis' chances at success tonight, but geez. It's possible his start this weekend could be in jeopardy.
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| Shannon Stewart, who was placed on the DL Sunday with a sprained right ankle, is likely to be sidelined for a while, general manager J.P. Ricciardi told the AP. The outfielder had an MRI Monday, but no results were available. |
Our View: Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench will handle the duties in left field until Stewart can return.
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| Gary Sheffield has begun taking swings and is set to begin hitting live BP Tuesday, according to MLB.com. Sheff is working his way back from a strained left oblique muscle. "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And that's what I feel good about," he said. |
Our View: It's not clear exactly how far that light is, but it's good that Sheff is coming along. We'll continue to monitor his rehab.
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| Kelvim Escobar threw off a mound Monday for the second time this season and said his shoulder "continues to feel stronger," according to MLB.com. The righty tossed 30 fastballs at about 70-80 percent effort. "It was the first time I'd thrown those pitches off the mound in a long time," Escobar said. "It felt pretty good." Escobar is recovering from a tear in his labrum. |
Our View: There is no timetable for Escobar's return, but it's a good sign that his shoulder feels good thus far. We'll let you know how he progresses.
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| The Angels recalled Chris Darren O'Day from Triple-A Salt Lake Monday to replace the injured Chris Bootcheck on the roster. |
Our View: O'Day held a 3.43 ERA in 16 games earlier this year with the Halos. He doesn't have any fantasy value.
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| The Angels placed Chris Bootcheck on the DL Monday with a strained forearm, according to the Orange County Register. Darren O'Day was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to replace him. |
Our View: Some time off might do Bootcheck some good, as he holds a 10.13 ERA in 10 games this year
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| Troy Percival is scheduled to throw a simulated inning on Tuesday, according to MLB.com. He is eligible to return from the DL on Friday and is expected to be activated then. "Three outs and call it good," said Percival. "You never know what's going to happen, but my body feels good." Percival has been out with a strained hamstring. |
Our View: Dan Wheeler will go back to a setup role upon Troy's return.
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| Ivan Rodriguez will share time behind the plate with Brandon Inge for a while, according to MLB.com. "You can tell when a guy catches as much as (Rodriguez) does, particularly a guy who's caught as many games as he has, that's not easy to do," manager Jim Leyland said. "He's in as good shape as any player we've got. I don't care how good shape he's in. You catch that many games, [some] 12 innings, [some] a day game after a night game, you get rundown. I don't care who you are. I don't care how good shape you're in. That goes for anybody." |
Our View: Pudge has struggled at the plate this year, hitting just .245 with one homer and 21 RBI. Perhaps he is worn down, or perhaps the 36-year-old is just not as good a hitter as he once was.
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| Brandon Inge started at catcher Monday for the second time in the last three games, and manager Jim Leyland plans on having Inge and Ivan Rodriguez split time behind the dish for a while, according to MLB.com. "I'm going to catch these guys every other game for a while," Leyland said. |
Our View: Inge has catcher eligibility now in most leagues, so he wouldn't be a bad pickup.
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| Rod Barajas has made a case to be the Blue Jays' No. 1 catcher, but he will split time with Gregg Zaun when Zaun returns from the DL on Wednesday. "They'll both play," manager John Gibbons said. "We feel good. We've got two pretty good catchers. So any way you go, you feel good." |
Our View: Barajas is still worth owning in deeper leagues, but he will probably not play quite as much as Zaun.
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| Gregg Zaun will return from the DL on Wednesday, the first day he's eligible, according to MLB.com. The catcher is coming back from inflammation in his right elbow. |
Our View: Zaun will split time with Rod Barajas behind the plate.
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| Ken Griffey Jr. hit a two-run homer in the first inning Monday off Florida lefty Mark Hendrickson. The longball was the 600th of Junior's career. He is the sixth player of all-time to reach the plateau. |
Our View: Congrats, Junior. If it weren't for injuries, he probably would have reached the mark a couple years ago.
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| It had been rumored that the Astros could be interested in Sidney Ponson, who was recently designated for assignment by the Rangers after rubbing teammates and management the wrong way. However, Ponson will not end up in Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Astros feel the rotund righty brings too much baggage. |
Our View: We can't blame the 'Stros for not pursuing Sir Sidney. Personal issues aside, he was pitching over his head with the Rangers and was already beginning to come back down to earth.
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| The Rangers will recall Eric Hurley from Triple-A Oklahoma to start on Thursday, according to MLB.com. He will fill the No. 5 spot in the rotation that was left vacant with the release of Sidney Ponson. |
Our View: Hurley has pitched poorly overall this year, with a 5.30 ERA in 13 starts, but he holds a 3.46 mark over his last six outings. He also has a nifty 72/29 K/BB rate in 74 2/3 frames. He's worth a bid in AL-only play, though he should probably be started only in favorable matchups initially.
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| Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and crushed a two-run homer in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Royals. |
Our View: A-Rod has 10 homers and 31 RBI over 44 games, and raised his average a few points to .317. He recorded two hits in four straight games and two RBI in three straight. That was also the fifth time out of nine games in June that he reached two RBI.
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| Xavier Nady returned to the Pirates' lineup and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Monday's 5-3 win over Arizona. |
Our View: He missed two straight games due to inflammation above his left ankle, but could have played on Sunday, and is safe to return to your lineups. He collected his first RBI since May 31, and has 46 over 61 games.
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| Mike Mussina allowed two runs on seven hits over eight innings in Monday's 3-2 loss to Kansas City, with no walks and three strikeouts. Most of the damage came on a two-run homer by Miguel Olivo. Mussina ended the day with a no decision. |
Our View: He pitched well enough to win, and just didn't get adequate run support from his team-mates. He has allowed two or less earned runs in three straight starts.
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| Miguel Olivo went 2-for-4 and hit a two-run homer in Monday's 3-2 win over the Yankees. |
Our View: He has eight homers and 25 RBI over 41 games played, and raised his average to .289.
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| Luke Hochevar pitched well on Monday, despite leaving with a no decision in a 3-2 win over the Yankees. He only allowed two runs on four hits over six innings, with no walks and four strikeouts. Both of the runs came on an A-Rod homer. |
Our View: He has been suffering through control issues this season, and this was his first outing that he didn't issue a walk. This should help in his bid to ward off a demotion to the minors.
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| Ian Kennedy just completed his first bullpen session since straining his right lat muscle last month, according to MLB.com. He threw around 30 pitches under the watchful eyes of pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Mike Harkey. Limited to only fastballs and changeups, Kennedy finished with his right arm feeling fine. Kennedy said, "It feels back to normal again. It was a very average bullpen, but it felt good, at least. It kind of felt weird throwing on the mound, because I've been throwing on flat ground for the past week, but it felt good to be out there on the mound."
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Our View: Kennedy is scheduled to fly to Tampa, Florida, on Monday night to continue his rehab. There, he'll throw another bullpen session this week, while mixing in his breaking pitches. He would then begin a schedule of rehab games, barring a setback. It remains unknown whether he will rejoin the Yankees or be sent to the minors when he's healthy. He failed to earn a win over eight starts this season, and held a 7.41 ERA and 1.75 WHIP.
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| Joe Crede shared AL Player of the Week honors with Milton Bradley of the Rangers, according to the Chicago Tribune. Crede went 11-for-18 (.611) with two doubles, five home runs and 11 RBI in six games last week.
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Our View: He impressively hit two home runs in back-to-back games during the span, and has 14 homers for the season.
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| Josh Barfield has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The team decided to option struggling second baseman Adrubal Cabrera to Buffalo. |
Our View: Cabrera held the lowest batting average in the AL among starters with a .184 mark. Barfield was the Indians' starting second baseman in 2007 before Cabrera took his job in August. Barfield only hit .243 last season, but will be an upgrade over Cabrera.
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| Asdrubal Cabrera has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The team recalled second baseman John Barfield as an adjoining move. |
Our View: Barfield was the Indians' starting second baseman in 2007 before Cabrera unseated him. Cabrera failed to keep his job this season, as he struggled with a .184 average over 52 games, with 40 strikeouts.
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| Brewers' GM Doug Melvin has denied speculation that he was interested in acquiring second baseman Brian Roberts, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Melvin said, "We haven't been scouting Roberts. That was brought up in the spring when the Orioles were talking to the Cubs about him. They were wanting to get us involved. We've had no special assignment scout looking at Roberts."
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Our View: Rickie Weeks was allegedly named in a possible trade for Roberts. Melvin noted that wasn't true, and stated that Roberts is making $6.3 million this year and $8 million next year. Weeks is making just over $1 million this season and remains under club control through 2011.
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| Jose Guillen has returned to the Royals' outfield on Monday, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: He has been slowed by a bruised left shin, and served as the team's DH on Sunday. The swelling has subsided, and he has been cleared to roam the outfield again. He has 20 doubles this season, and his running ability should not be compromised.
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| Joey Gathright is in the Royals' starting lineup today, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: He is back in center field, and batting at the bottom of the order. There was speculation that he may have separated his shoulder on Sunday, but that does not look to be case.
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| Adam Loewen, who is recovering from left elbow soreness, is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment on Tuesday at Single-A Frederick, according to the Baltimore Sun. He did not experience any setbacks in his two-inning simulated game on Saturday. Manager Dave Trembley commented, "It's all scripted out. Toward the end of his rehab, he'll pitch back-to-back days and have a day off. We'll start him out in the beginning of an inning with nobody on, and as he gets going toward the end of his rehab, we'll bring him in the game in the middle of an inning with guys on base. Toward the end, he'll have to throw two innings. He won't throw more than two innings. I don't really see him being a long reliever."
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Our View: The Orioles are not contenders, and will protect Loewen's prized left arm by keeping him in the bullpen, and out of the rotation, when he returns.
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| Phil Hughes is scheduled to undergo another bone scan this week to check the status of his fractured rib, according to the NY Daily News.
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Our View: Hughes isn't expected back until July, and isn't worth waiting for as a fantasy hurler, as he held a 0-4 record over six starts, with a 9.00 ERA and 2.14 WHIP.
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| Kyle Farnsworth was given a second-straight day off on Sunday to rest a "cranky" right bicep he suffered following his last outing, according to the NY Daily News. |
Our View: Farnsworth holds no fantasy value, as he allowed 14 runs and 34 hits over 28.1 innings of relief, with a 1.59 WHIP.
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| Ian Kennedy is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today, according to the NY Daily News. He is recovering from bursitis in his right lat. |
Our View: Kennedy could begin a rehab assignment in about a week or so, though it remains unknown whether he will rejoin the Yankees or be sent to the minors when he's healthy. He failed to earn a win over eight starts this season, and held a 7.41 ERA and 1.75 WHIP.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury hit off a tee on Sunday, and his injured wrist is improving, according to the Boston Herald. Ellsbury said, "It’s feeling a lot better each day, big improvements, which is good. Not too sore." |
Our View: Ellsbury expects to come in on the off day to face live pitching for the first time since straining his right wrist. If that goes favorably, Ellsbury could be in the lineup Tuesday night when the series against Baltimore begins.
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| Xavier Nady missed his second-straight game on Sunday due in inflammation above his left ankle, but the ailment is not believed to be serious, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He said, "I'll be all right. It's kept me from doing some things, but I'll just have to play through it."
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Our View: He sustained the injury June 1 against the Cardinals. He iced down the ailment on Sunday, and walked without a limp afterward, and could have played if needed, but manager John Russell decided to hold him out. He could return Monday.
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| Manager Mike Sciosca stated that Chone Figgins will play a minimum of three games during his minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Salt Lake, according to the LA Times. Figgins said, "I'm ready to play. I'm tired of this, man. Eating hamburgers and hot dogs and watching games, it's killing me." He is recovering from right hamstring irritation.
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Our View: Figgins will start with five innings at third base tonight and will work his way up to eight or nine innings Wednesday. He could return by the end of the week, barring a setback.
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| Santiago Casilla threw 29 pitches in a simulated game on Sunday, according to the SF Chronicle. He used his fastball, slider, and changeup, and felt no pain following the session. He is recovering from right elbow soreness. |
Our View: Manager Bob Geren noted that Casilla will likely make rehab outings Tuesday at Single-A Stockton and Friday at Triple-A Sacramento, and could be activated from the DL after those appearances, barring a setback.
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