[Hache Man]

AL Team-by-Team Notes
I never bought into Victor Martinez's hamstring problem causing his drop in power because he was always moving around pretty well and using his legs in the batter's box just as he was before. As it turned out, it was really an elbow problem at the root of his drought. Surgery to remove bone chips took place Friday, and Martinez could miss up to two months. Perhaps if Travis Hafner (shoulder) has a setback, then Martinez could come back and DH in three or four weeks. However, it doesn't seem very likely. Kelly Shoppach will be a nice AL-only catcher until Martinez gets back. The Indians will have to move him up from the ninth spot in the order if he continues his hot hitting.

American League Notes

Baltimore - Thanks to another big series against the Red Sox, Luke Scott is back up to .282/.365/.523 for the season. Of the seven hitters the Orioles could potentially trade this summer, only Brian Roberts has more value in a deal. Scott is under control for four more years, and he's going to be quite cheap for the next two, even though he's probably going to be a super-two player this winter. That may sound like reason to hold on to him, but he is about to turn 30 years old and the Orioles already have two outfield spots spoken for going forward. They'd be smart to move him while his value is at its high point. The Mets, Padres, Rays and Braves are among the teams that could be interested. … Brian Burres seems likely to follow Steve Trachsel out of the Orioles' rotation. Matt Albers would be the favorite to replace him, but he is a better fit in the pen at the moment. Unfortunately, the Orioles are low on alternatives, especially with Triple-A Norfolk's Hayden Penn out with a sore shoulder and Adam Loewen effectively forbidden from starting. 20-year-old right-hander Chris Tillman might get an opportunity soon. Poor command would likely hold him back, but he is one of the top talents in the organization.

Boston - Bartolo Colon bounced back from his first rough start as a member of the Red Sox by striking out seven in a win on Wednesday. He's been able to hit 94-95 mph on the gun when he wants to, and his slider seems to be slowly rounding into form. The slider, though, is just a change of pace, as it's always been about the fastball with Colon. He's displayed very good command of both his two- and four-seamers for the most part. He is due to start giving up more homers, but if he continues to stay away from the walks, they'll be solo shots. It looks like he'll be a fairly valuable mixed-league starter for the rest of the year. … If his rehab start Monday goes well, Daisuke Matsuzaka (shoulder) will return to face the Cardinals on Saturday. Justin Masterson will be sent down.

Chicago - Jim Thome's back is acting up and the White Sox have six games upcoming in NL parks, so the struggling slugger is likely to be worthless for the near future. I can't see just giving up on him in a shallow mixed league, but for those without bench spots, it has to be a consideration. Ideally, one could drop him and pick him back up in three weeks, when the White Sox schedule starts getting awfully friendly. He might not be of any use until then. … A big hit Friday got Juan Uribe a second straight start on Saturday after two weeks out of the lineup, but he went 0-for-2 in the loss to the Rockies. Alexei Ramirez remains the preferred option at second base and likely will be back in there on Sunday.

Cleveland - Josh Barfield (finger) sure didn't last long as the Indians' second baseman. It'll be Jamey Carroll's job for at least a couple of weeks. Ideally, Asdrubal Cabrera would get hot in Triple-A and reclaim the job early next month. … Shin-Soo Choo is making a strong case to remain a starter against righties after Hafner returns to claim the DH spot. David Dellucci seems likely to be the odd man out. … Fausto Carmona (hip) is two or three weeks away from taking Jeremy Sowers' rotation spot.

Detroit - The Tigers handled Dontrelle Willis very poorly after activating him from the disabled list -- having him throw just one inning in a two-week span was a ridiculous idea -- and with his command worse than ever, the team had no choice but the send him down. Minor league veteran Eddie Bonine won't prove to be a long-term replacement, but the Tigers lacked obviously superior options in Triple-A. They're the one team that may need to overlook Sidney Ponson's faults and bring him in. Willis is a long shot to come back and make a real contribution in fantasy leagues this year. Maybe he'll work through his command problems, but his stuff is no better now than it was last year, when he was a lousy pitcher in the NL. … Ivan Rodriguez doesn't figure to spend the rest of the year playing every other day, but that's the way manager Jim Leyland wants him splitting time with Brandon Inge for now. Until it changes, Inge could be an adequate second catcher in mixed leagues. He'll still probably get the occasional start at third base. … Right-hander Freddy Dolsi has been quite impressive since being called up, even picking up a couple of saves. However, he might be demoted this week with Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya set to return from their shoulder injuries. Casey Fossum is also a candidate to go. Rodney is expected back on Monday. Zumaya could be activated a few days later.



Kansas City - With 17 steals this year, Joey Gathright has rewarded AL-only leaguers. However, his .244/.289/.267 line has made him a big liability in an expanded role that's had him in the lineup 70 percent of the time for the Royals. That's especially the case since the team doesn't really need him in center. He's better than David DeJesus there, but DeJesus still covers enough ground to handle the position. If the Royals had picked up an average left fielder or first baseman, with Gathright being used strictly as a fourth outfielder, they'd have at least a couple of more wins right now. Instead of foolishly penciling in Ross Gload as a regular, they should have used the money they wasted on Brett Tomko to bring one in over the winter. … The Royals could get a boost if they bring back Billy Butler once they're finished playing in NL parks. Butler is hitting .375/.453/.661 with three homers in 15 games since being sent down, and since no one has stepped up in his absence, the Royals might as well give him another chance. Gathright and Gload would lose at-bats.

Los Angeles - Thanks to their pitching, the Angels had the AL's best record going into Saturday's play even though they have often been without up to three starting infielders and have received a 750 OPS from their $51.5 million outfield. While Vladimir Guerrero and Gary Matthews Jr. have been the bigger disappointments from a fantasy perspective, Garret Anderson is the Angels' weakest link. The team is counting on him rebounding in the second half just like he did last season, but there's little reason to think he'll do it again at age 36. Incredibly, they've had him and his .293 OBP batting third of late. Anderson should be done in Anaheim at season's end, so it's about time loyalty stops winning out and he gets treated like any other past-his-prime corner outfielder with middling power and little speed. Potential upgrades should be plentiful at the deadline. … Chone Figgins (hamstring) returned Friday, and the Angels might get Erick Aybar (finger) back before the end of the week. Aybar, though, probably won't be a regular initially with Maicer Izturis on a tear of late. Izturis will move around a bit, but he'll likely be an everyday guy until he cools off.

Minnesota - Livan Hernandez hasn't won since May 12, and he's currently allowing five hits for every strikeout he records (136 H, 28 K in 89 1/3 IP). Basically, he's doing about what should have been expected from him as an AL pitcher. The Twins should cut him loose and give Francisco Liriano another opportunity. Hernandez will get a few more starts first to try to turn it around and he might even have some modest success against NL teams, but he doesn't belong in an AL rotation. … It looks like Jason Kubel, who is now second on the Twins in both homers and RBI, is through losing time to Craig Monroe. He's a sleeper to amass some value in mixed leagues the rest of the way. … With the Twins still in contention, it will be interesting to see if the team considers trading for a third baseman next month. Mike Lamb has been one of baseball's worst regulars, and he'd remain a liability on defense even if he did pick it up offensively. Hank Blalock, Edwin Encarnacion, Bill Hall, Melvin Mora, Casey Blake, Jose Bautista and Aaron Boone are candidates to become available. Hall's long-term deal would make him a poor fit, but the Twins should have room in their budget to rent Blalock or Blake. Encarnacion might be the ideal choice, as he'll be due a modest salary next year and won't be eligible for free agency until after 2011. The Twins should consider offering up a couple of their pitching prospects.

New York - When Robinson Cano hit .295 with just six strikeouts in 95 at-bats in May, it seemed likely that he'd settle back in as a top-notch fantasy second baseman after his horrible beginning. However, he's back nearly duplicating his April numbers this month. Cano is still hardly ever striking out, and he's not hitting any more grounders than usual. Even his line-drive percentage is right where it was last year. He's had more than a few awkward swings, but there's nothing to suggest that he's injured. He certainly hasn't been limited at all in the field. He's simply too talented not to turn it around eventually, and a second half similar to last year's (.343-13-57) wouldn't come as much of a surprise. There will never be a better time to trade for him. … The Yankees are reportedly shopping LaTroy Hawkins, but they might as well just release him. Bringing him back to the American League was a horrible idea. In fact, I thought he'd be gone by Memorial Day. J.B. Cox's arm woes might buy Hawkins a little more time, but the Yankees still have better bets in Triple-A.

Oakland - I thought Carlos Gonzalez would be the choice to go, but Travis Buck was optioned to make room for Ryan Sweeney on Friday. Sweeney will replace Buck as the right fielder against righties, with Gonzalez staying in center field. The A's could have kept all three and gotten rid of Rajai Davis, but they weren't going to have enough at-bats available for that many youngsters. Emil Brown will probably be reduced to getting most of his starts against lefties now. The A's have had the opportunity to use Jack Cust at DH with Frank Thomas down, but he's remained in left field for the most part. … Thomas won't return from his quad injury on Friday as hoped, giving the A's more time to evaluate whether they're better going forward with Daric Barton or Jack Hannahan. Both are starters right now, but one could be dropped from the roster after Thomas returns. Barton has rebounded from a .139 month of May to hit .317 so far in June. … A sore groin has caused Huston Street to cut his delivery a little short, costing him velocity. If he has some shaky outings in the near future, that will probably be the reason.



Seattle - J.J. Putz's hyperextended elbow is no major injury, but the Mariners made the right move putting him on the disabled list. He hasn't been nearly himself at any point since returning from his rib injury, and some time off, followed by at least a couple of rehab appearances, should do him some good. Brandon Morrow is the clear favorite for saves in the Seattle pen with Putz sidelined. The Mariners didn't name him the closer, but that's probably just because they didn't want to put too much pressure on him. … An open stance has helped Richie Sexson hit .263 this month (10-for-38), but that's come without even one extra-base hit. Sexson would be just as much of a liability as a pure singles hitter that he was as an all-or-nothing (mostly nothing) slugger. … R.A. Dickey should be an upgrade from Miguel Batista in the rotation, even if he hardly looked like it Friday against the Nationals. Still, the Mariners are calling it a short-term switch. It won't really have any fantasy ramifications unless Morrow falters and Batista takes over the closer's role.

Tampa Bay - Rocco Baldelli, out since the spring with a mitochondrial disorder, is scheduled to begin a 20-day rehab assignment in the minors on Monday. There's absolutely no guarantee that he'll come back and contribute next month, but it's possible he could be useful in a limited role. AL-only leaguers with an open bench spot should consider stashing him away. … That Carl Crawford opted to serve his four-game suspension without filing an appeal could be taken as an indication that he's hurting more than anyone suspects. His performance suggests it. His sore right knee hasn't stopped him from stealing bases, but his OPS is down to 675. He's 7-for-37 with just one extra-base hit during June. If the four-game break doesn't do him any good and he continues to slump over the rest of the month, it will be time to start shopping him. The return won't be what it was at the beginning of the year, but it might be worth it anyway.

Texas - The Rangers have Chris Davis nearly ready and they just used their first-round pick on a polished college first baseman in Justin Smoak, so they have more incentive than ever to leave Jarrod Saltalamacchia at catcher. However, Salty has been a liability behind the plate this year, especially when it comes to throwing out basestealers. The Rangers may want to try him in left field if he fails to show substantial progress over the rest of this season. They do have another elite catching prospect in Taylor Teagarden, as well as Max Ramirez, a minor league catcher who is likely to end up at first base or DH for the long haul. … Hank Blalock (wrist) could return as the Rangers' first baseman on Friday. Chris Shelton is likely to be dropped from the roster.

Toronto - There's certainly no reason to make the move while interleague play is going on, but Shaun Marcum could be a nice sell-high candidate later this month. He struggled to hold up physically in a 2007 season in which he threw just 159 innings. This year, he's on 215-inning pace. He's due to start giving up more homers on his 88-mph fastball anyway. That he's getting more grounders than he did last year is a good sign for the long-term, but he still gives up his share of flies, especially to left-handed hitters. …
Gregg Zaun (elbow) is expected back this week, though he probably won't play as much as he did before getting hurt, as Rod Barajas has done a nice job as the starter. Curtis Thigpen will be sent down. … Vernon Wells is questionable for Sunday because of soreness in the wrist he broke last month, but he appears to be OK to use this week. … Aaron Hill (concussion) apparently will miss another full week.