Holliday

After running out a grounder and injuring his left hamstring, All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday was officially placed on the 15-Day DL yesterday. This is terrible news for owners of Holliday BUT this is a better time for a DL stint than later in the season where production is hard to find. The Rockies will take this DL stint of his very slowly and cautiously so don't expect him to return unless he is 100% healed. With all the other injuries to the Rockies organization this is a huge blow to the team.

Owners, just sit back and try to patch the hole Holliday leaves, even though it is impossible to find a player let alone 2-3 players who can fill his shoes. He will be back so don't worry too much.

2008 Stat line = .321AVG, 8HR, 26RBI, 33R, and 8SB's.

Isringhausen

The struggling closer for the Cardinals, Jason Isringhausen, was placed on the 15-Day DL with a right hand laceration. The injury was not reported as to where and when it was sustained but reports coming out of the Cards camp is he cut it when he hit a TV in frustration while in La Russa's office.

Owners, should be a little relieved at the moment because his status is kind of solidified right now, he's on the DL. Put him on your DL and see if he can come back mentally and physically strong. Closers in fantasy baseball are vital to the success of any team so keep him and see if he can come back to earn some valuable saves in a couple of weeks. What ever you do, don't drop him, unless you are in dire need of help.

Smoltz

John Smoltz of the Braves has lost his past two starts after starting out 3-0. In his latest loss he allowed 4ER's in 4 innings. But what hurts owners the most is the fact he has some discomfort in his right shoulder. This wouldn't be a big concern since Smoltz is a veteran who knows his body but he has already started this season on the DL with discomfort in the same shoulder.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I recommended you to trade Smoltz while he was hot and high in value. Now, owners can't do much because of the news with his shoulder. Just have to wait until more news comes out concerning the discomfort.

Lackey

John Lackey, the ace of the Angels rotation, is scheduled to return to the mound early May. Owners should continue to keep him in their DL spot or stash him on their bench. If there is a deal out there that comes along, don't be afraid to trade him away. He had some impressive 2007 numbers but if the deal can help you for this season, by all means, trade him.

2007 stats. 19-9, 224IP, 3.01ERA, 179K's.

Big Ben

Ben Sheets of the Brewers has some soreness in his tricep which caused him to leave his last start. The bigger news here is he's been pushed back from his next scheduled start and is now on track to pitch next Tuesday.

Owners should be worried because Sheets is injury prone and finds a place on the DL every year. So far, owners have been blessed with his 2008 start (3-0, 28IP, 14H, 3ER, 1HR, 4BB, 24K, and a 0.96ERA). If you drafted him and had no back-up plan in case he did go to the DL you are in a little trouble. Well, not just yet but with his history this tricep injury might get more serious.

The only thing you can really do is wait this out. You won't get fair/full value if you try to trade him. Kind of reminds you of Rich Harden and Chipper Jones.

J-Roll

Ouch, another high profile player has landed himself on the DL. First it was Bedard then Soriano now it's Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies. Rollins will be spending the next few weeks healing after spraining his left ankle. Owners...this is a huge blow for now but when he returns you should be fine. But with all injuries just hope it doesn't come back and linger. It could affect his SB totals. This is a first rounder so you can't do a thing but wait until he returns.

Soriano

A. Soriano of the Cubs is on the 15Day-DL with a strained right calf. This is a big blow for owners due to the fact Soriano was drafted in the second round in most leagues. There is nothing you can do except try and find someone on the waiver wire to replace him.

My advice is to grab Merton of the Cubs, if there isn't anything better on the waiver wire. Merton is hitting well in the minors and hopefully will find his swing in the majors.

Sucks to be a Soriano owner...I am one of them.

DL Time

E. Bedard of the Mariners is officially on the 15Day-DL, retroactive to April 9th. So far Bedard has been reported as saying he's not even sure when he'll be back on the mound. This is a big blow for owners who drafted him early in drafts but with a player of this calibre, you have no choice but to keep him on your bench or hopefully in a DL spot, if it is free. Again, this proves the point on why you should never draft pitching early in a draft. Pitchers will always come up during the season.

J. Borowski of the Indians is on the 15Day-DL with a strained tricep. Borowski was suffering from low velocity on his pitches and here is the reason why. Owners who read my previous post should have picked up Kobayashi and now I will also include the name of R. Betancourt for the job. Both are candidates for the closer position. I believe Kobayashi will get the nod because he is pitching well and has proven, in Japan, he can close out games an grab a save.

Take note

F. Liriano of the Twins is back in the majors and pitched, ummm, not so effectively. 4.2IP, 6H, 4ER, 5BB, and 4K's. Don't expect him to be pitching 8 innings with 10K's right away. Be patient and hopefully he gets back to his old self from two year ago.

E. Bedard was scratched from his latest start, AGAIN, with inflammation in his left hip. This is not good news and even worse news for owners who drafted him or kept (which I did) him, so please be patient and wait until more news comes out on Bedard. Just shows everyone how volatile pitchers can be and why drafting them early just doesn't work out.

J. Reyes of the Mets has a mild strain, that was seen through an MRI. So far, there is no news on him hitting the DL but for owners this is not good news. Reyes is drafted in the first round because he can single handedly take the SB category for any owner. With a leg injury this thing called running might not be in the cards for him. Owners, relax and hope this injury doesn't linger through the season.

B. Bannister of the Royals threw a CG 3 hitter and well he should be on your team.

C. Cordero and J. Rauch of the Nationals seem to be sharing save duties for now. Keep both on your team until a single closer is finally declared. What I just said isn't official but it is good idea to have both...for now.

DL Stints

R. Soriano, the closer for the Braves, has found himself a spot on the DL and this is not a good sign especially with his history of injuries. Owners need to go out and grab some alternatives from the Braves, look to Boyer and Moylan.

M. Lowell of the Red Sox had a great 2007 season but after signing a nice contract with the Red Sox is finding a spot in the trainers table with a thumb injury. This won't help his cause at the plate. Owners who drafted him should be hurting and also expect Lowell to come down to earth after batting .324, which was the only year in his career he has ever hit over .300.

Harden

Mr. Harden of the A's is on the 15Day-DL. I can't say much to comfort Harden owners but there is nothing you can do about it now. He's injured and you won't get any value for him.

You are officially stuck with Harden, you can't drop him and you won't get full value for him. This is what you get for drafting Harden. He's either injured or dominating opponents.

Just keep him on the bench and better hope he's going to be healthy after the 15day DL stint.


My thoughts...I think it's time for Harden to move into the bullpen and come in for long relief or become a dominating closer.

Garza

Officially on the DL. Owners, DROP him.

Note: I'm speaking of Matt Garza.

Mr. Speed

Dave Roberts of the Padres found himself a spot on the 15-day DL with a sore left knee. Having sore knees just isn't something a speedster like Roberts needs. Owners should drop him and let him ride on the waiver wire. He's not valuable unless he's running. DL=no running.

Drop and find someone else...Joey Gathright, Michael Bourn, or Carlos Gomez.

Poooosaaada

Jorge Posada a catcher for the Yanks is ailing from a sore right shoulder. This is not a good sign since catchers need to throw the ball!! Prime example was Joey Gathright going off for 3 SB's against him. News out of the Bronx is he's going to rest and maybe just maybe do on the DL.

Since owners drafted him fairly high this is a big blow if he isn't able to provide you with the top catcher stats. As of right now, owners should take a deep breath and relax...just hope it all blows over.

Howieeeeeeeeeeeee

Howie Kendrick of the Angels suffered another hand injury. Kendrick seems to be plagued by hand injuries. Last year, he had to miss 56 games due to a fracture in his hand. Just hope he doesn't have to go on the DL and that the injury heals quickly. This kid is a potential batting champ and is showing this by batting .429 this season!!!

Owners should have a little worry in there minds but should try and stay calm. Just wait until more info is released about his hand. Hand injuries and hitting just don't go together.

My Man Jeter

One of the staples to all my fantasy teams, Derek Jeter of the Yankees, left the game with a quad injury. He initially injured it on Sunday but decided to play yesterday. Well he's hurt and knowing Jeter, he'll play through the pain. Owners shouldn't worry just yet. Until he's on the DL he'll still put up the typical Jeter season, .310AVG, 200H, 10-12HR, 15-20SB.

Closers

Brad Lidge owners should be happy because he's back!! Lidge of the Phillies recorded his first save of the season but didn't do it without having some intense moments. Lidge walked 2 and let up a run, unearned though. Lidge had some nice numbers last year in the second half of the season. His job is safe as the Phillies closer unless he unravels.

G Sherrill of the Orioles recorded 4 saves for his entire tenure with the Mariners, 128.1IP but just recorded his 4th save on Monday. So far Sherrill is doing just fine in the closer role. People who drafted him late should be laughing at others because you just found a nice bargain. Owners shouldn't be count on Sherrill to do this for the entire season since he doesn't have the history of closing games.

F. Rodriguez of the Angels is suffering from a sore right ankle, the one he uses to push off when pitching. The word coming from the Angels is the injury isn't hampering his performance but it doesn't seem like it. Looking at his numbers and owners should be worried. The latest from Angels website is F-Rod will most likely go on the DL. Look to Scot Shields to take save opportunities, this is a must pickup for all owners of F-Rod.

Accardo

Jeremy Accardo of the Blue Jays converted his second save of the season against the Red Sox. Owners should have Accardo on their team since BJ Ryan is on the DL.

Scutaro

Marco Scutaro of the Blue Jays has taken some lessons from Jose Reyes by stealing everytime he gets on base. In Scutaro's first two games he has attempted 3 steals (2 for 3).

Owners and watchers, don't take this to be a sign of him stealing 30+. Since 2002 he has attempted 19 total stolen bases with 14 successful steals. Marco isn't worth a pickup yet...but since Scott Rolen is on the DL he is the full time 3B. Keep him on your radar but he isn't worth owning at this moment in time.

DL

JJ Putz of the Mariners was placed on the 15-Day DL. As posted previously, the Mariners will be closer by committee. Look to Mark Lowe to be the main guy but since it is a committee he will not see all the opportunities especially since he's had 2 surgeries to his elbow in the past 19 months.

Pedro Martinez of the Mets was placed on the DL and well he'll be gone at least a month. Fantasy owners, just drop him. His body is aging and well he's not going to bring you much value right now. If happen to have a DL spot or a huge bench dropping him might not be the greatest choice but honestly, I wouldn't even keep him on my deep bench.