Ok, so Mussina and Pettitte: check. Joba? Wasn't he supposed to be setting up? Instead Yanks fans get treated to a rousing rendition of Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th ... woo hoo! Rasner was an uninspiring injury replacement last year, and who the heck is Dan Giese? Sidney Ponson is next to the party. You remember him, right? He's the fat dude pictured here who got kicked off the Rangers for being a royal pain in the arse and enjoys driving after a few pops.
This is news I didn't think I'd be reporting this season, and it's most certainly something I didn't think would happen in June. This is nothing short of miraculous. After all the setbacksMark Mulder has experienced, he might start this weekend in Kansas City for the Cardinals. As reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Tonight's outing is considered a tuneup more than a full-blown start, suggesting the Cardinals have made a decision but will wait to see how Mulder exits the appearance before confirming his return to the major leagues.
"It depends on how it goes. We're not really putting a day on it," general manager John Mozeliak said.
Asked when Mulder would start, Mozeliak said, "We'll know that by Tuesday."
So he's going tonight for Triple-A Memphis, and unless his arm falls off he could be inserted into the rotation? After everything that we've been reading up to this point, it's an absolutely stunning revelation. I'm still skeptical that he's physically okay. I mean, just a month ago we thought he'd never pitch again because they had no idea what was wrong with the shoulder. Now he's ready to pitch in the bigs? C'mon.
Fantasy Spin: Don't bother. There's no way he'll hold up over the course of the season. Even if he somehow does, he's been completely ineffective in triple-A, compiling a 13.50 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of work. He's only punched out eight, while he's allowed 28 hits en route to a horrifying 2.48 WHIP. If that's what the minor leaguers were doing the major leaguers (yes, even the Royals) will tattoo him.
Jeff Clement's first stint at the big league level did not pan out quite so well. To say that he struggled -- batting .167 with 0HR, seven walks and 20 strikeouts in 48 at bats -- would be an understatement. But as soon as he got demoted to the minors, he started ripping the cover off the ball. Again.
Hence, the Mariners have decided to call Clement back to the bigs. He hasn't played in the majors since returning yet, but he should strap back on the padding and/or take a trip to the outfield soon.
He has been playing at AAA-Tacoma though, absolutely raking the ball -- nine homers, another nine doubles, getting on base at a .375+ club and only 17 strikeouts in May and June combined -- since returning. Which would explain why the M's didn't mind bringing him back up (well, that and their MLB worst record).
Now, Clement is going to be catcher eligible for fantasy purposes, but he might not always play there, giving him the potential to be a half-season/poor man's Josh Willingham from 2006.
Is he a must add in every fantasy league? Um, no. Smaller leagues don't want to burn waiver claims or take the risk that he will do what he did last time. But if you have a 12 team league (or bigger) or use two catchers, I think I'm grabbing him for the upside. Right now, the internet related buzz says to hold off on grabbing him, but if you don't beat the buzz, you end up continuing to play Jesus Flores.
The downside is there (see his first promotion) but the power from that spot, especially if you're in a keeper league, is too strong to ignore.
Finally, mercifully, the San Diego Padres have decided to bring their top prospect, Chase Headley, to the major leagues. Headley got the call this weekend and will start his first game Tuesday when the Fathers face the Bronx Bombers in Yankee Stadium. So, you know, no pressure.
'He's on his way,' [GM Kevin] Towers said before Saturday's Interleague game against the Indians.
[...]"I think the environment is much better than it was three weeks ago," Towers said. "We have got a lot of guys contributing offensively. When he gets here, he shouldn't have to feel like he's got to carry this ballclub. We're playing good baseball now.
"To me, now is kind of the right time to have him here, when things are going well."
And by "going well", what Towers means is "after his June 1 arbitration date; well enough after, in fact, to make sure everyone forget that's why I kept him down in the first place."
Although, in fairness, the Padres have won seven of their last ten while leapfrogging the Giants and Rockies and somehow climbing within 6.5 games. Additionally, Jake Peavy is back, so maybe things aren't as bleak as they were earlier. Convenient, really.
Fantasy Spin: Headley is going to be OF eligible and likely 3B eligible as he'll spell Kevin Kouzmanoff. He's an impact player, who I would grab in most leagues (if you need 3B help), especially keepers. Of course, he is also a rookie and an OF, so be patient and don't expect him to pull a Ryan Braun or anything.
Here on Fantasy FanHouse we've been monitoring the progress of Chris Carpenter for a bit. I covered him a few weeks ago and Greebs hit him again yesterday. There's a reason for that, which is ... when healthy, he's a stud. Well, that "when healthy" part is an issue this year, and it just became a little more unlikely.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Carp's comeback hit a snag this week. He even went in to have an MRI on his "repaired" elbow ligament yesterday. Why?
Carpenter returned to St. Louis to be seen by team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta after becoming increasingly concerned about what he was feeling following a Wednesday side session at the club's minor-league complex in Jupiter, Fla.
Oh boy. Also contained in the piece were that the Cards' GM is "concerned," and an admission that Carpenter won't be pitching "around the All-Star break" like they had hoped.
Look, we all knew he wasn't coming back that quickly, but the team was pushing for that date. Now they aren't, and they haven't even set an amended timetable. That sounds bad. It sounds like they are scared. Once the results of yesterday's MRI are made public we'll know much more, but this doesn't look good.
In light of this most recent news, I predict you won't see the '05 Cy Young winner on the hill this season.
Fantasy Spin: If you have already taken the initiative to stash him on your bench, keep him there until there is definitive bad news (unfortunately, my prediction doesn't qualify). You don't want to drop him and then watch someone else reap the September awards because of what turned out to be a minor setback.
Let's face it -- one of the real joys of playing fantasy sports is the satisfaction of feeling smug, even superior, to the other folks in your league. Take, for instance, last season when a given owner tried to add Ryan Braun or Tim Lincecum prior to their call-up, only to find them sitting on your bench. There's no doubt that you felt pretty superior when they undoubtedly posted something like, "I can't believe he's already taken!" (Of course, this assumes a free agent world – otherwise, the same reaction would occur after you bid on that player weeks before anyone else did.)
On the other hand, this can go a bit too far sometimes. This year, I drafted Cameron Maybin, sure that I had myself a great combination of young speed and power – and then he got sent down by the Marlins, and it's far from clear when he'll be back in the bigs. I've stashed Colby Rasmus on a team where I have a bench that justifies it, even though it's not clear if he'll play before September.
Of course, this doesn't just apply to fresh young faces -- the savvy fantasy player can also pick up and stash a veteran who is out on the DL for a sizeable part of the year. Many folks have been holding on to Francisco Liriano for just this reason. (I'm of the theory that this is a waste since he'll be able to contribute very little when he does return.)But who else is likely out there on your free agent wire, potentially providing some free benefits to you down the stretch? Well, it turns out the Cardinals have a rash of pitchers with some prior success that should be hurling in the bigs sooner than later. Let's look at them and decide whether they are worth your bench space.
On his second at-bat of the game tonight, Alfonso Soriano was beaned on the left wrist. ESPN just reported that he has a mildly displaced fracture of the fourth metacarpal. Translation: broken hand. He's reportedly out six weeks.
This is a blow to the Cubs, but hardly devastating. He's a stud and has been hitting as well as anyone in the everyday lineup, but the team is loaded with capable hitters and he's a defensive liability. They dealt without him for two weeks earlier in the season and played quite well, going 9-5.
For the Cubs, several guys will benefit playing-time wise. The options are plentiful thanks for the versatility of the bench and Mark DeRosa. Mike Fontenot or Ronny Cedeno can play second base while DeRosa shifts to LF. Micah Hoffpauir -- sure to get the call from triple-A -- will get some looks in LF as well. Finally, should Lou Pinella decide to stray from his CF platoon, Reed Johnson can play left while Jim Edmonds stays in center. There won't be an everyday lineup. Musical chairs is more like it.
Hot off the presses, J.J. Putz left the mound with an ailing pitching elbow today in Toronto, and young fireballer Brandon Morrow took over to garner his first career save.
Putz already had some injury woes earlier this season, and if this is indeed an injury to his pitching elbow he may be lost for the season. It's not like the Mariners are going to literally give up on the 2008 season, but if they have to make a decision on whether they want him healthy for the start of next season or not, no chances will be taken with his long term health.
As for Morrow, I have mentioned a Joba-like rotation move for him, but this could change everything. He's got sick stuff and would easily become a dominant closer. Coming into today, Morrow sported a 1.06 ERA with 23 whiffs in 17 innings.
The only downside is that the Mariners do, in fact, suck. His save opportunities would be few and far between. Still, that doesn't mean he wouldn't be a valuable contributor to the category ... Brian Wilson has 18 saves for the hapless Giants. Unlike Wilson, Morrow will provide stellar help in ERA and WHIP when he's on the hill.
Keep an eye on Putz in shallow leagues because you don't want to jump the gun for a middle reliever.
In deeper leagues where Morrow is still available, go get him now and beat the crowd.
Remember Chris Shelton's beastly start in 2006? Stud or Shelton examines whether currently hot players are having a similar mirage or will continue to play at a high level.
Starting pitching has been relatively topsy-turvy this season. You've got C.C., Bedard, and Verlander collectively sucking. On the other hand, Saunders is tied for the AL lead in wins and Wellemeyer is 7-1. Etc. Etc. Etc.
This is weird, but it's my job to help you sort it out and plan for the rest of the '08 campaign. Let's start with the dude at the right who is throwing a ball at you.
Joe Saunders -- He's 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. Those numbers alone say "elite starter." He also plays for the team that wins games, so he should keep piling up wins. As for the other numbers, I'd be worried. In 82 innings he's only struck out 39 guys. If you aren't a power pitcher, you can survive on getting the ground ball, it's just that he's not. 1.21 grounders per flies, teamed with his unGodly .238 allowed BABIP. This means that he's received an inexplicable amount of luck in regards to the type of contact being made.
When I wrote last week that Homer Bailey had a shot to get to the bigs in mid-July, I didn't foresee the injury to Josh Fogg. Hopefully you saw that and added him before the news of his recall broke today, because he's a very solid option in fantasyland. Last year he was added to the Reds with much fanfare and things didn't go particularly as planned. He did come through with a 4-2 record, but the 5.76 ERA was bad as was the 1.57 WHIP.
Things are different now. First of all, according to his triple-A manager, Rick Sweet, he's more mature. He's still only 22, but the second reason I think it's going to be different this time is that the complexion of the expectations and hype surrounding him are a complete 180 from last year at this time. The difference -- no, it's most certainly not the new manager in Cincy -- is that there are two other hyped young arms already establishing themselves in the rotation and one uber-prospect recently inserted into a lineup that already contained a rookie masher. Yes, I believe the hype surrounding Homer this time around is significantly lower because of the presence of Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Jay Bruce, and Joey Votto.
With the added abilities of several largely hyped youngsters around Bailey, he no longer has to shoulder the load of the franchise future by himself, thus the pressure he puts on himself is lower.
Verdict: I'd be careful about having him activated for his matchup this week against the red hot Phillies. After that, though, I'd feel comfortable ranking him right alongside Cueto -- a youngster who has his ups and downs but overall provides the ability to rack up points for the long haul.
I'm sure this is the way Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman drew it up coming into the season. The last turn through the Yankees rotation went like this: Mike Mussina, Dan Giese, Andy Pettitte, Darrell Rasner, and Joba Chamberlain. 
This is news I didn't think I'd be reporting this season, and it's most certainly something I didn't think would happen in June. This is nothing short of miraculous. After 
Finally, mercifully, the San Diego Padres have decided to bring their top prospect, 
Here on 
Let's face it -- one of the real joys of playing fantasy sports is the satisfaction of feeling smug, even superior, to the other folks in your league. Take, for instance, last season when a given owner tried to add 
On his second at-bat of the game tonight, 
Hot off the presses
Remember 
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