The Day in Review

Its been another active day around the league, with some bad news concerning a few things. First, I must digress that the Cubs don't look to get Brian Roberts any time soon, so I've wasted an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out a new lineup. But onto real news...

Injury Watch

• Kelvim Escobar is likely to miss at least half the season, but I'm betting on the whole thing. I just flat out dropped him in my Sports Writers league and don't think he's worth going near. If there's a free agent out there you had your eyes on, just cut your losses. You'll need that DL spot for someone who might actually pitch later in the year.
• Carlos Gomez appears healthy despite the scare. I'm concerned that he might steal less after the hamstring pull, and thats really all he's good for.
• Hanley Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano (my two keepers by the way) are going to try to avoid injury this year by running less. If this means they are moving down the order and will see more RBI chances, its okay. Still, it puts a dent in both of their fantasy value if the managers' requests come to fruition.

Prospect Watch

• Salty is back in the minors. For those of you drafting him ahead of guys like Johjima or Soto, you were warned by most analysts. In shallow leagues, Kurt Suzuki or Carlos Ruiz might be available. Otherwise you'll probably have to settle for Laird.
• Homer Bailey was optioned to the minors, which I find a bit surprising. Johnny Cueto could be a viable option based on how the Reds are treating him.

A few notable performances of the day: Rich Harden had a great first outing. For some reason I think he will stay healthy long enough to be worth the draft pick, and I don't even own the guy. Also, based on Jered Weaver's spring and the performance he showed when he first hit the majors, you might want to write last season off as a sophomore slump. Josh Hamilton continues to seem undervalued in my opinion, but I tend to think injury risk is overrated (all players carry risk, and with the exception of Ben Sheets is tough to predict). Piniella mused today that Fukudome might bat leadoff against lefties, which could mean an increase in steals. I think the guy could go 15-15, but with all the balanced outfielders out there you could do better.

Thats what you need to know about the day.