The Day in Review

It's been a less-than-exciting Monday in fantasy baseball. Here's the recap of the day's bad news:

Injury Watch

• Josh Beckett is officially on the DL, retroactive to March 19. The good news: he should be eligible to pitch within the first two weeks of the season. The bad news: an early DL stint is definitely bad news for a guy I don't trust to stay healthy for an entire year. You can bet Boston will treat their October ace gingerly all season, to make sure he's healthy for the playoff run.
• John Smoltz is not officially on the DL yet, but the Braves don't actually need a fifth starter until April 6. It's very possible he won't pitch until then - hopefully age isn't catching up with the old horse. Tread softly.
• Brad Lidge will also be starting the season on the DL. He's eligible to be back April 5 - not soon enough to lose his job to Tom Gordon. Philadelphia will probably be careful as long as Flash proves to be a capable fill-in. Caveat Emptor.

Demotions

• Despite an outstanding spring, Evan Longoria is being sent to Triple-A by the Tampa Bay Rays. The move is probably just Tampa trying to secure his rights for an extra year, meaning he'll be back in May. However, he's no longer worth drafting as a sleeper at the end of your drafts.
• Minnesota is starting Francisco Liriano off the minors. He is still recovering from surgery in 2006, and the Twins have to value him too much to rush him back. He'll make a few starts there until he is in better form, then return to the rotation.
• Cameron Maybin, one of the prizes of the Miguel Cabrera trade, was sent to Double-A by the Florida Marlins. This was not totally unexpected, but keep his name on the horizon in keeper and dynasty leagues if he reappears later this year.

Position Battles

• The Cubs rotation is set, with Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis edging Jon Lieber for the open spots. Kerry Wood, as expected, will close.
• Carlos Gomez will be playing center field for Minnesota. He's fast, and if he gets regular at-bats he could be a steals contributor if you need some this year.

Joey Votto hasn't been demoted yet, but Scott Hatteberg is hitting well and Reds manager Dusty Baker loves his veterans. Still no word on where Barry Bonds will end up this year. That's what you need to know for the day.