Today's News, Players to Watch

Sheffield Finally Lands on DL

05/28/2008

BY Aaron Gleeman

LATEST FANTASY BASEBALL HEADLINES

Matsuzaka battling shoulder fatigue

Big Hurt exits with quad strain

Oblique strain puts Sheffield on 15-day DL

D'Backs place hobbled Byrnes on DL

Reds call up top prospect Jay Bruce

Braves' Diaz likely DL bound with knee injury

Pedro set to return from DL on June 3

Lots of good stuff to get to today, so let's skip the usual minutiae and get to the notes from around baseball . * As expected, the Reds called up top prospect Jay Bruce from Triple-A and he debuted Tuesday night versus the Pirates. Bruce going 3-for-3 with a double perhaps shouldn't be shocking given his amazing production at Triple-A, but the fact that he drew a pair of walks after coaxing a total of eight non-intentional free passes in 49 games at Louisville is certainly surprising. Of course, Pirates starter Ian Snell uncharacteristically handing out seven walks had a lot to do with it. My "good power, mediocre batting average" prediction for Bruce still stands, but obviously his debut was very impressive across the board. Interestingly, rather than cutting Corey Patterson to make room for Bruce on the roster the Reds instead designated Scott Hatteberg for assignment. Hatteberg lost his starting job to Joey Votto early on and spoke publicly about not wanting to be a pinch-hitter, but can still help plenty of teams in a part-time role and may still have fantasy value. * With Garrett Atkins returning to the lineup at third base Tuesday and the middle infield in flux thanks to multiple injuries, the Rockies decided to get creative by starting Ian Stewart at second base. There was some talk this spring about Stewart getting a chance at second base, but those plans were quickly abandoned when Jayson Nix claimed the starting job. Nix predictably flamed out, but the Rockies continued to play Stewart at third base full time at Triple-A.Stewart figures to be very stretched defensively at second base and his seeing zero action there in the minors suggests that the Rockies are improvising on the fly now. With that said, Jeff Baker is also no great shakes as a middle infielder and Stewart does have enough offensive potential to make a positive impact even if he's giving away runs with his glove. He's hit .297/.377/.518 with 27 homers and 17 steals in 158 games at Triple-A, making him a must-grab in NL-only leagues.* Gary Sheffield has batted just .192 with five homers in 80 games since injuring his shoulder last July, including .213 with three homers in 39 games this season while dealing with an assortment of injuries. He finally headed to the disabled list Tuesday with a strained oblique and will miss at least two weeks, but could easily be sidelined for most of June given all the physical problems that he's had since beginning last season by hitting .306/.410/.563 through 91 games. Jeff Larish was called up from Triple-A to replace Sheffield on the roster and should get a chance to play regularly at designated hitter versus right-handed pitching. Larish is 25 years old and has hit .265/.385/.508 in over 1,400 plate appearances in the minors, including .274/.369/.589 with 16 homers in 52 games at Triple-A. He strikes out a lot and won't hit for a good batting average, but should provide enough pop to be a worthwhile option in AL-only leagues.* Because of lingering hamstring problems Eric Byrnes has clearly been playing at far less than full strength for a while now, hitting .143 while attempting just two steals over the past month. He showed some signs of life Sunday, smacking a grand slam off Tom Glavine and walking twice, but the Diamondbacks decided to place him on the disabled list Tuesday. Jeff Salazar and Chris Burke figure to platoon in left field until Byrnes comes back, making Salazar a nice NL-only grab.* Josh Hamilton drove in five runs Tuesday versus the Rays, extending his MLB-leading RBI total to 58 with an eighth-inning grand slam against the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 1999. Hamilton now has 582 career plate appearances spread over 143 games, hitting .308/.369/.574 with 32 homers, 69 total extra-base hits, and 105 RBIs. This season he ranks either first, second, or third among AL hitters in batting average, homers, RBIs, slugging percentage, and OPS.AL Quick Hits: Manager Terry Francona indicated Monday that Clay Buchholz (fingernail) might remain at Triple-A for a while, but Daisuke Matsuzaka leaving Tuesday's start with a shoulder problem could change that . Travis Hafner! (shoulder) was scratched from Tuesday's lineup and is expected to sit out Wednesday, so a trip to the disabled list could be coming . Hank Blalock got a cortisone shot Tuesday, but doesn't appear on the verge of returning from carpal tunnel syndrome . Ian Kennedy left Tuesday's start with a strained lat, which may speed Joba Chamberlain's transition to the rotation . Playing on his 40th birthday, Frank Thomas exited Tuesday's game with a strained quadriceps . David Ecksstein (hip) came off the shelf Tuesday, but is expected to sit out Wednesday's game as part of the Blue Jays' plan to give him regular rest . Carlos Quentin left Tuesday's game after fouling a ball off his protective cup, but appears to have avoided disaster . Manny Ramirez took Miguel Batista deep Tuesday for his 499th career homer . Daily Dose favorite Aaron Laffey turned in another strong outing Tuesday, beating the White Sox while slicing his ERA to 1.59.NL Quick Hits: Hunter Pence hit just .250 with one homer in April, but after five hits Tuesday he's batting .378 with six homers this month . Adrian Gonzalez smacked his 15th homer Tuesday, while the rest of the Padres have combined for 30 long balls . Asked about Chad Tracy's return from the disabled list, manager Bob Melvin called Mark Reynolds "our third baseman" and said that Tracy provides "thunder off the bench". Bengie Molina went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer Tuesday, giving him 14 hits and 12 RBIs over the past six games . Shawn Chacon had zero decisions through his first nine starts, but won Tuesday for the second straight outing . Justin Upton went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday, making him 0-for-24 with 17 strikeouts over his last seven games . Despite missing his last start with elbow soreness, Shawn Hill was allowed to throw 112 pitches while struggling through five innings Tuesday . Jeff Kent was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with back spasms, giving Chin-Lung Hu a start at second base . Albert Pujols had a season-high four hits Tuesday and is hitting .360 with a .483 on-base percentage.