Jeff Niemann- He is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Yankees after reporting no problems (back) after his bullpen session on Thursday.  You still might want to hold off on starting him since he will be facing the Yankees.

Adrián Béltre- is not listed in Thursday’s lineup for the Red Sox.  He is considered day to day after having an MRI on his hamstring that has been bothering him the last week.

Travis Snider- He is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Thursday and could be activated this weekend.  He should be back fully by next week.  Go get him if you are need of some power.

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Erik Bedard- It is rumored that barring any setbacks, bedard may be able to make his season debut by July 6th.  It would require Bedard making a start in the AFL and then move on to Triple-A Tacoma for one start.  That would put him in line to start July 6th against KC.

J.D. Drew-  While the Red Sox maintain that Drew will not need a stint on the DL for his hamstring injury, it still remains a possibility.  Drew always seems to be one of those players that is overrated by some managers and underrated by other managers.  I say take him for what he is worth.  Play him when he is hot and sit him when he is cold.

Víctor Martínez- After being involved in a collision during a play at the plate Wednesday, Martinez is out of the lineup Thursday.  Jason Varitek will start in his place.  Not sure if an injury is coming into play here but we will keep you posted as more info becomes available.

Josh Hamilton- He missed the game Wednesday due to a tight hamstring but should be back in the lineup today.  Hamstring injuries can linger and it would be a shame to see Hamilton lose an extended amount of time due to lack of adequate rest.  On the other hand, he may be able to play through it.

Yovani Gallardo- 12 Ks and 0 BB while tossing a complete game shutout.  He only gave up 5 hits to the Twinkies on Thursday after carrying a no-hitter into the 6th inning.  Over his last 5 starts, Gallardo has a 42:11 K:BB ratio over 35 IP to go along with a 1.54 ERA in that time period.

There have been quite a few rumors floating around about Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt(notes) possibly being traded before the trade deadline.  Will he approve a trade to this team?  Will he approve a trade to that team?  Will he approve a trade at all?  These are some of the questions that tends to follow each of these rumors due to Oswalt’s no-trade rights.

One team that has been recently rumored to want his services is the New York Mets.  Oswalt has said that he would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Mets if they can stay in playoff contention up to the trade deadline, but would the Mets even want him? Read the rest of this entry »

Here is some basic news about what is going on around the Majors currently.  It ranges from injury updates to call ups to hot streaks to cold streaks.  Enjoy.

Troy Tulowitzki- He should be able to return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the last few games and having Monday off.  Feel free to return him to your lineup this week.

Jeff Francis- So far in 6 starts this season, Francis has a 3.29 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  He allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, over 7 IP to pick up his second win against the Blue Jays.

Colby Lewis- What a difference a trip to Japan has made for Lewis.  He has been a solid pickup for many a fantasy manager this year and he continued his hot streak against the Brewers.  He has allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in four out of his last 5 starts.  He allowed only 3 hits to the entire team, albeit 2 of those were solo HR to this man… Read the rest of this entry »

The Seattle Mariners stink. They were supposed to compete in the AL West this year if not completely dominate it with stellar pitching and a decent offense. Well, they are not doing that. In fact, they are in the cellar and fully expect to be sellers come the July trade deadline.

The Mariners have a few players that might interest contending teams but none more so than Cliff Lee(notes).  Lee is in the final year of his contract and the Mariners fully expect every contender to come a callin’ for his services.  The New York Yankees seem to be the most logical fit.  They could easily resign him after trading for him and the Mariners have sent several scouts to watch Yankee minor leaguers this year. Read the rest of this entry »

It is that time of year again folks, when MLB teams bring up their elite prospects who have been working on things in the minors such as pitching out of the stretch or mechanics or speaking English.  We all know that these are all just excuses teams give for keeping their best minor leaguers down to avoid starting their arbitration clock.  Well, now is the time where it doesn’t make a difference anymore.

Bring on the future fantasy studs that we all have waiting on our own fantasy team benches.  I’ll break down the future stars that will be making their way onto the BIG diamond in the next week or so.  How about we start with… Read the rest of this entry »

Last year Jayson Werth(notes) hit 36 HR on his way to a career year.  He currently has 9 so far this year and he might be pressing a bit due to contract negotiations.  He says it isn’t bothering him at all but the numbers suggest differently.

“I don’t think anybody can sit there and say what I’m thinking,” Werth said to MLB.com. “I play hard every night. I hustle. I play to win. Thinking about my contract is the last thing on my mind.” Read the rest of this entry »

New York Mets CF Carlos Beltran(notes) has been out for a while now.  He had off-season surgery on his knee that was not authorized by the Mets and that made them very angry.  At the time of the surgery, he was supposed to only miss 12 weeks but it has gone on much longer than that.

In fact, he has been out so long that he will need an extensive amount of rehab time once he is cleared for baseball activities.  That’s right, he isn’t even cleared for regular baseball activities yet.

So, you might want to start looking for some other options because it is looking more and more as if he will be out until after the All-Star break at the least.  In the mean time, Angel Pagan is having a wonderful year in his place in CF.  He is someone that is worth taking a flier on for now.

There is a rumor going around that Ken Griffey Jr. was asleep in the clubhouse during a game when the Mariners wanted him to pinch hit.  This is not the type of example the Mariners are looking for from Griffey.  Apparently Griffey has been having trouble sleeping at home and one teammate jumped to his defense and had this to say, “they could have awakened him”.  Yes they could have awakened him but he is hitting .208 currently and who wants a guy pinch hitting when he is half asleep and already hovering around the Mendoza line?

There are a few options available here for the Mariners.  They could release Griffey, for his poor play and not the sleeping incident, although that does factor into it.  They can find a way to send him to the DL to get his sleeping problem in order.  Or, they could ask him to retire so they could bring up one of their prospects to take his place.  The Mariners have a few options if they choose to replace Griffey in any manner. Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks might be losing his job soon if he doesn’t turn things around real quick.  Manager Ozzie Guillen (known for speaking his mind) has said “Maybe the next couple of days we use somebody different,” in an interview with ESPN.  “That way we can see if Bobby can get regrouped and come back to his form. Obviously, he is not throwing the ball well. The good thing is we have options, and we will see what happens the next few days.” Read the rest of this entry »