St. Louis CL Jason Isringhausen is temporarily out as closer. Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer will probably share the role until Izzy returns.

Milwaukee CL Eric Gagne has a major league-leading five blown saves and recently received a vote of confidence from manager Ned Yost. That's basically the kiss of death, so grab Salomon Torres if you can as a backup.

Hello all. Back from a short hiatus from a weekend in D.C. to run the Race for Hope 5K. It’s funny how things fly past you in the fantasy lane when you blink for a second ...

A work colleague asked me what I thought about this trade: Robinson Cano and Mark Reynonds for Chone Figgins and Alfonso Soriano. He got the latter two.  

I wish I could get trade offers like that thrown my way … Anyways …  Here are some quick updates on two of my favorite rookies so far … it's easier to find hitters anyway ...

LA Angels P Nick Adenhart hasn’t looked like he did at Triple-A. But his first start came on three days rest and then walks, five, did him in that second start. I expect those both aberrations came becaus of nerves, especially the second start because I’m sure he wanted to make up for the first one. Just a reminder, he is THE youngest pitcher in the major leagues. And these were his numbers this year in the minors: 4-0 with an 0.87 ERA over five starts and he held opposing hitters to a .170 batting average. Go and get him.

Arizona P Max Scherzer allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks over four innings in an 11-4 loss to Philadelphia Monday. But he did strike out five. Have patience, it was his first start. He’s alittle closer to those perfect 4.1 relief innings than he is to that last outing. Expect him to bounce back against the Cubs on Saturday.  

NY Yankees SP Phil Hughes was expected to be out at least a month with a strained oblique. Now he's going to be out until at least July with a stress fracture in his rib cage. Darrell Rasner has been called up to replace Hughes in the rotation. You could do worse than Rasner and, hopefully, you'll at least get some wins ... if the Yanks offense can get back on track.

A more significant blow is the announcement of Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki being out until possibly the All-Star break with a torn tendon in his left quadriceps. Unless Ian Stewart gets the call-up, I'd avoid the others who would replace Tulowitzki, including Clint Barmes, Omar Quintanilla and Jonathan Herrera.

A work colleague and I were talking shop about some recent pickups, free agents, call-ups, etc. … And he tells me that he’s been able to grab Carlos Quentin to shore up some injury spots and was debating to keep either Michael Bourn or Carlos Gomez, after having been able to drop and re-acquire the two.

I can’t relate (Other guys he’s been able to pick up include Casey Kotchman, Johnny Cueto, who’s since come back down to earth, and Edinson Volquez).

And a small part of me misses those shallow 10-team, mixed-league rotisseries. Bourn and Gomez were both drafted in my big league and Quentin was picked up on April 7. I was happy to just steal Jurrjens as my No. 5 pitcher in my NL-only league and even happier when Scherzer arrived in the bigs just nine days after picking up the minor-leaguer to fill my starting roster for future potential. Crossing my fingers to see if I have a chance at him in my big league (Yahoo! lets him free from waivers on May 1).

But I digress … Onto some useful info …

A couple of weeks ago, I said to keep an eye on Seattle OF Wladimir Balentien, and he finally got the call Wednesday night (I guess the Mariners wanted to let Brad Wilkerson get his average above .200 before getting rid of him). Balentien provided the team’s only offense by smacking a three-run homer off Cleveland’s Cliff Lee. Balentien finished 2 for 4 hitting out of the seventh spot. He was hitting .254 with six homers and 20 RBI in 17 games at Triple-A this season.

Called up alongside him was C Jeff Clement, who had a ninth-inning single after relieving Kenji Johjima of duties an inning prior. Clement hit .375  with two HRs and three RBIs in nine games for the Mariners and totaled 20 HRs and 80 RBIs at Triple-A in 2007. In 23 games at Triple-A this year, he hit .397 with five HRs and 20 RBIs.

Both are highly suggested.

Some other tidbits ...

Arizona P Max Scherzer’s stay in the bullpen lasted exactly 4.1 perfect innings. He’ll start against Philadelphia Monday.

Chicago Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano is ready to be activated off the DL Thursday. You have to be happy when he says he feels he can steal at least 30 bases this year (That makes me VERY happy).

Another NY Yankee was just placed on the DL – Alex Rodriguez with a strained right quad.

Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki could land on the DL with a strained left quad.

One player who currently isn’t recommended – but is wasting away on my roster – is NY Yankee Phil Hughes. The 0-4 phenom with the 9.00 ERA and 2.14 WHIP was placed on the DL with a strained right oblique (probably from all the sudden turns he's made to watch a ball get smacked to left field … I’m not too bitter about my projected No. 4 starter).

And I’m only doing this because the fantasy gods have sent me another injury in the form of Atlanta SP John Smoltz. He’s expected to miss his next start with a sore shoulder and could wind up on the DL. Keep an eye on him.

In my big league, I drafted Smoltz as my No. 3 starter in round 8 (really round five as the first three made up our keepers). I wanted a strong staff (Peavy and Zambrano are my top two) and felt I could go with Smoltz, who made 32 starts last year. But some of the names I passed on were Jamie Shields, John Maine and Fausto Carmona.

In my NL-only league, I decided on NY Mets SP Pedro Martinez rather than Milwaukee SP Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo started the season on the DL but came back on April 20 and has been lights out in two starts. Pedro could be cleared to throw off a mound as early as this weekend and then he’s got another two-three weeks of rehab before he’s back with the Mets. Pitching is really hurting me in this league, and my top two starters are Peavy and Hamels.  

Thanks for reading to my little rant … now for other injury updates …

Texas 3B Hank Blalock was placed on the DL and will miss at least three weeks with a torn hamstring. Replacing him is Ramon Vazquez — look elsewhere.  

NY Yankees C Jorge Posada was placed on the DL with a sore shoulder. Be careful here because he’s headed to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews. That name alone should strike fear in most fantasy GMs. Jose Molina, or any other FA catchers, can’t replace a player like Posada. Cross your fingers and hope Posada’s injury isn’t the out-for-the-year type.

LA Dodgers 3B Nomar Garciaparra lasted just nine games before finding his way back to the DL, this time with a strained left calf. Blake DeWitt again gets the call with  

Philadelphia SP Brett Myers has lost some velocity in his fastball (He can fire it up to 95 mph, but it’s currently down to 88). Watch him closely.

Some prospect news …

Arizona called up SP Max Scherzer. It’s been reported he’ll start out of the bullpen, but Micah Owings could miss a start and Edgar Gonzalez should miss any future starts. Scherzer’s being touted as this year’s Joba Chamberlain, so snatch him if you can.

Cleveland SP Jeremy Sowers was sent back down after a spot start against the NY Yankees. Up comes Aaron Laffey to pitch tonight, also against the Yankees, and is still my favorite to stick around until Jake Westbrook returns.

And some bad news …

San Francisco SP Barry Zito, one of my favorite players, is on the verge of being demoted to the bullpen. A definite fall from grace by the ’02 Cy Young winner, though he’ll always be part of the big three for me.

After hitting the last keystrokes on the post about possibly watching the Colorado CL situation, it completely melted down Wednesday night. Going into the Cubs game, former CL Manny Corpas had blown three of seven save chances, the latest Tuesday night, and proceeded to serve up a two-run blast to Aramis Ramirez. Earlier on Wednesday, manager Clint Hurdle had given Corpas a vote of confidence that he would remain in the role, but less than 24 hours later the Rockies had a new closer in Brian Fuentes. This after Fuentes failed to hold leads in games against Houston and Philadelphia earlier in the week and was in danger of losing the eighth-inning role to either Matt Herges or Taylor Buchholz.

Some other developments ...

As suggested Tuesday, Texas C/1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia was called up. He’ll see time at both positions.

Minnesota SP Francisco Liriano has been unimpressive in his three starts to say the least. He was shipped back to the minors.

And keep an eye on Detroit DH/OF Gary Sheffield. His shoulder pain is persistant and the slugger has considered the possibility of retiring. 3B/OF Brandon Inge and OFs Ryan Raburn and Marcus Thames have reaped the benefits while Sheffield has been out since Saturday .

The illness cost Boston SPs Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka each a turn in the rotation. Beckett should be fine in time for his next start Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Washington 2B Felipe Lopez is the new starter. If you need steals, pick him up as he’s been slotted as the Nationals leadoff hitter.

Keep an eye on Colorado CL Manny Corpas. He’s already blown three saves this season after just blowing three all of last season. It may be just a blip, though, as RP Brian Fuentes is in a battle with Matt Herges to keep his eighth-inning role.

On the injury front …

Detroit OF Curtis Granderson was activated from the DL. Hopefully you got him in your starting lineup in time to benefit from Wednesday’s offensive clinic.

Minnesota OF Michael Cuddyer could be activated as early as Friday. He’s missed time with a dislocated finger.

Washington CL Chad Cordero has rotator cuff tendonitis and is out indefinitely. Could be time to write him off.

Seattle SP Erik Bedard is scheduled to come of the DL and start Saturday against the LA Angels. Teammate CL J.J. Putz was activated Tuesday.

Cleveland SP Jake Westbrook was placed on the DL with a strained muscle in his left rib cage. He could be out up to four weeks. Paul Byrd moves up to start on Friday, while Aaron Laffey or Jeremy Sowers could get the call-up to replace Westbrook in the rotation. Laffey is 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and 18 Ks over 23 innings; Sowers is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 16 Ks over 22-plus innings. Seems like a coin flip between the two lefties, so keep a close eye on the situation, but I give the slight edge to Laffey.

Milwaukee SP Ben Sheets, who left his last start with tightness in his right triceps, was held out of Wednesday’s start. He is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

LA Angels SP John Lackey is scheduled to pitch Thursday in Single-A as a start to his rehab. He will remain with at A Ball until May 4 and could be back with the Angels as early as May 9.

Tampa Bay SP Scott Kazmir made his second rehab start and could rejoin the Rays to face Boston either May 3 or 4. Tough assignment to come back to.

Back to Yankees-White Sox … if you’ve got some questions … feel free to leave a comment.

Texas C/1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Current Rangers 1B Ben Broussard hitting .170, while C Gerald Laird is hitting .226. Those numbers were painful to even type. Saltalamacchia is hitting .291 with 10 runs, 2 HRs and 13 RBIs. Once Salty gets back the bigs, he should hit. He compiled a .266 avg, 39 runs, 11 HRs and 33 RBIs in 93 total games with Atlanta and then the Rangers.

Colorado 3B Ian Stewart is hitting .323 with 17 runs, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs and 2 SBs at Triple-A. The Rockies tried him at 2B in spring training, but sent him down due to a concern with Stewart’s defense. The Rockies should be more concerned with current 2B Jayson Nix’s offense (.132 avg, 2 runs, 2 RBIs and 1 SB). Clint Barmes has filled in nicely, but he’s playing way above his career numbers – Barmes last full time season was in ’06 when he hit .220 with 57 runs, 7 HRs, 56 RBIs and 5 SBs in 131 games.

Cincinnati SP Matt Belisle got the call-up when Josh Fogg was demoted to the bullpen. Belisle proceeded to get thumped in his debut against the LA Dodgers, giving up seven runs – five earned – on 12 hits and a walk over four innings. The outing shouldn’t be surprising, in 30 starts last year Belisle was 8-9 with a 5.32 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP. The Reds should’ve called up SP Homer Bailey, who is currently tearing through Triple-A hitters. In four starts, Bailey has a 3-1 record with a 1.03 ERA, a .87 WHIP, and 16 Ks over 26-plus innings. If Belisle continues his struggles, expect Bailey to get the nod, and I’m betting soon.

This last one is a true flier, but keep Arizona SP Max Scherzer on the radar. He’s 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA, a .59 WHIP and 29 Ks over 17 innings. Those are ridiculous numbers, and should Edgar Gonzalez or Randy Johnson have a hiccup, the Diamondbacks would be smart to call on Scherzer.

Kansas City SP John Bale landed on the DL with a sore shoulder. There's probably no chance that any GM owns him, but there is a reason to pay attention to his injury. Luke Hochevar could be called up to start Sunday against Oakland. The '06 No. 1 pick is limiting Triple-A batters to a .180 batting average against and has struck out 12 in 17-plus innings. Snatch him up before the other GMs in your league.

Seattle minor-league OF Wladimir Balentien is batting .351 with 8 runs, 3 HRs and 14 RBIs in his last 10 games. In his way at the Mariners is OF Brad Wilkerson, who is sporting a .135 avg with 4 RBIs. It shouldn't be too long before Balentien gets the call.

Here are some stats for a couple of prospect hitters who could be called up in case of an injury: Toronto OF Adam Lind is hitting .360 with 8 runs, 3 HRs and 13 RBIs, while Cincinnati OF Jay Bruce is hitting .333 with 9 runs, 3 HRs and 9 RBIs. 

Atlanta RP/CL Peter Moylan was in the closer's role long enough to pick up a save and now his year could be in jeopardy with elbow discomfort. Manny Acosta is now the default Braves closer, while Rafael Soriano could be activated as soon as Tuesday. Adding to the Braves pitching woes is SP Tom Glavine, who also had to go on the DL. Chuck James is back in the rotation. Avoid him.

Keep an eye on Milwaukee SP Ben Sheets, who left Friday's game after five innings with tightness in his right ticeps.

Houston 2B Kaz Matsui was activated from the DL after recovering from the most horrific sounding injury.  

Check back in a couple of days and I'll give you some more pitchers to keep an eye on.

My top pick in both of my leagues, Chicago Cubs OF Alfonso Soriano, landed on the DL with a strained right calf. Expect Reed Johnson to take over in left field and Felix Pie to start in center. Soriano was starting to warm up at the plate, so fellow owners cross your fingers that he's not out for a long time. He's not the type of player you can replace in your free agent pool, so hopefully you've got some better stop-gaps on your bench.

Other injury news: Cleveland CL Joe Borowski went on the DL with a strained right triceps. Rafael Betancourt will most likely take over closing duties, but if manager Eric Wedge doesn't want to change late-inning bullpen roles he could likely slot in Masa Kobayashi, who was closer in Japan.

Seattle SP Erik Bedard went on the DL with left hip inflammation. He'll likely miss just one start and return on April 24. R.A. Dickey will start in his place on Friday.

NY Mets SS Jose Reyes and NY Yankees SS Derek Jeter have both returned, and Philadelphia SS Jimmy Rollins made an appearance as a pinch hitter. He's getting close to returning full-time.

St. Louis SP Mark Mulder made a rehab start in High-A. He threw 61 pitches, allowing two runs - one earned - on six hits and a walk. He struck out a batter. Teammate SP Chris Carpenter is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday. Both players will probably be out until at least June.

Seattle CL J.J. Putz threw off a mound for the second time Wednesday, meaning the Mark Lowe era for the Mariners is soon coming to an end. Putz is eligible to come off the DL Thursday.

Detroit OF Curtis Granderson could start his rehab assignment as early as Friday. Good news for Tigers fans and fantasy GMs alike.