Kuzul

Around lunchtime on Tuesday, a report surfaced that Tampa Bay third baseman Longoria would miss six to eight weeks with a partial hamstring tear, a seemingly crippling blow to the Rays‘ chances of making the American League playoffs this year.

Then around 1 p.m. EST, the Rays’ Web site published a dissimilar account of Longoria’s progress, saying he had incurred a “hamstring-knee thing” (the words of GM Andrew Friedman) but would not be headed for the disabled list.

Fast forward to 6:06 p.m., just minutes after I had published the original version of this story, the Rays finally made it official: Longoria (four HRs, 19 RBI, 15 runs, two steals, .329 batting) will indeed miss four to eight weeks with a hamstring tear.

Even with the final prognosis, I’m still recommending that fantasy owners make a sincere, aggressive trade play for Longo—before the weekend—in the form of a two-tiered, scenario-based proposal (like the one below).

Think of it as your own live-action Choose Your Own Adventure for the fantasy realm…where GMs must hazard an educated guess on Longoria’s specific return date.

Scenario A—Longoria to miss 3-5 weeks

1-for-1: Joe Mauer, David Freese, C.J. Wilson or Ian Kennedy
1-for-2: Longo for Mike Moustakas/Chad Billingsley or Edwin Encarnacion/Mike Minor
2-for-2: Longo/James Shields for Alex Rodriguez/Mat Latos or Jose Bautista/Drew Smyly

Scenario B—Longoria out for 6-8 weeks

1-for-1: Chris Davis, Chris Young, Neftali Feliz or Lance Lynn
1-for-2: Longo for Adam LaRoche/Johan Santana or Mark Trumbo/Tom Milone
2-for-2: Longo/Jordan Zimmermann for Chase Headley/Josh Johnson or Eric Hosmer/Jon Niese

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If you need to hit the waiver wire for some offense, you came to the right place.

Here are four hitters widely available that you should add to your fantasy team.

(All percentages are from ESPN fantasy baseball leagues.)

Denard Span: Minnesota Twins, OF (52.1% owned)

The Twins outfielder had a very productive April. He amassed three steals, nine runs and was a savior in the batting average department. Span is not only hitting a fantastic .330, but he’s done so over 91 at-bats. Span is a career .287 hitter, and he batted .311 in 2009, so don’t expect a huge drop-off either.

He’s the Twins’ everyday leadoff hitter, and he will continue to be very helpful in the three categories previously mentioned. 

Gerardo Parra: Arizona Diamondbacks. OF (36.4% owned)

Parra has been taking full advantage of the increase in playing times he’s received due to Diamondback outfielder Chris Young’s shoulder injury. In his last nine games, the 24-year-old posted nine runs and an RBI, as well as four steals.

With no clear timetable currently set for Young’s injury, Parra should have steady playing time for a while. And given his ability to produce across the board, he’s definitely worth a pickup. 

Alcides Escobar: Kansas City Royals, SS (39.5% owned)

Escobar‘s numbers don’t fly off the stat sheet, but at a position so shallow, they sure are useful. The 25-year-old is currently batting .295, has eight runs and five steals. He is unlikely to maintain such a high batting average (.255 career), but the steals (26 in 2011) will certainly keep coming.  

Escobar doesn’t produce well enough across the board that he should be your starting SS, but his 30-steal potential make him a nice option at your 2B/SS slot.

Todd Helton: Colorado Rockies, 1B, (26.0% owned)

Helton was rarely drafted this year, likely due to his age and injury concerns. Well, Helton’s managed to stay healthy thus far, appearing in 20 games, and has been productive in them. The 38-year-old has hit four home runs, 16 RBI and is slugging .552. The .254 batting average he currently sports isn’t great, but Helton hit .302 in 421 at-bats in 2011, so it’s not unreasonable to think he will improve there as the season goes along.

At No. 5 in the order he should continue to rack up the RBI. As long as Helton can continue to hit for power to a degree (say, 15-20 home run pace), he is well worth a spot on your roster.

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The day will come when 19-year-old Bryce Harper, perhaps the most hyped hitting prospect of the last 30 years, lives up to his vast potential in the majors.

The day will come when Harper is one of the National League’s best hitters and one of baseball’s biggest personalities.

The day will come when Harper is a four-category force (if not five) and an easy pick for Round 1 or 2 in fantasy drafts.

But on the morning of the teen sensation’s initial call-up to the big leagues—replacing All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (15-day DL)—it’s important to remember these nine words about Harper’s immediate potential in the bigs:

From a fantasy perspective, don’t go overboard on expectations. 

1. Baseball history isn’t on Harper’s side.

Since 1900, the list of major league hitters enjoying amazing “fantasy” numbers in their age-19 seasons is noticeably short. In fact, here’s a look at some of history’s most prominent batters, upon breaking into the majors before their 20th birthday:

1906—Ty Cobb, Tigers (one HR, 34 RBI, 45 runs, 23 steals, .316 batting)
1914—Babe Ruth, Red Sox (zero HRs, two RBI, one run, .200 batting)
1915—Rogers Hornsby, Cardinals (zero HRs, four RBI, five runs, .246 batting)
1991—Joe Cronin, Pirates (zero HRs, 11 RBI, nine runs, .265 batting)
1927—Jimmie Foxx, A’s (three HRs, 23 RBI, 20 runs, two steals, .323 batting)
1928—Mel Ott, Giants (18 HRs, 77 RBI, 65 runs, three steals, .322 batting)
1951—Mickey Mantle, Yankees (13 HRs, 65 RBI, 61 runs, eight steals, .267 batting)
1954—Al Kaline, Tigers (four HRs, 43 RBI, 42 runs, nine steals, .276 batting)
1964—Tony Conigliaro, Red Sox (24 HRs, 52 RBI, 69 runs, two steals, .290 batting)
1975—Robin Yount, Brewers (eight HRs, 52 RBI, 67 runs, 12 steals, .267 batting)
1988—Gary Sheffield, Brewers (four HRs, 12 RBI, 12 runs, three steals, .238 batting)
1989—Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners (16 HRs, 61 RBI, 61 runs, 16 steals, .264 batting)
1991—Ivan Rodriguez, Rangers (three HRs, 27 RBI, 24 runs, .264 batting)
1995—Alex Rodriguez, Mariners (five HRs, 19 RBI, 15 runs, four steals, .232 batting)
1996—Andruw Jones, Braves (five HRs, 13 RBI, 11 runs, three steals, .217 batting)
1991—Edgar Renteria, Marlins (five HRs, 31 RBI, 68 runs, 16 steals, .309 batting)
2011—Mike Trout, Angels (five HRs, 16 RBI, 24 runs, four steals .220 batting)
 

2. Harper’s audition with the Nationals might be brief—very brief.

On Friday, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo hinted Harper’s promotion would be a short-term move. He then said the club has no plans to deviate from its preseason goal of Harper (one HR, three RBI, eight runs, one steal, .250 batting) logging 300 to 350 minor league at-bats. Of course, that concept came before injuries to Zimmerman and 1B/OF Michael Morse.

Translation: The kid’s taste of the big leagues may simply be a motivational ploy or timely reward to keep Harper focused on what lies ahead.
 

Breakdown

Harper likely has owners for 99.99 percent of long-term keeper leagues, but if you should accidentally find him on waivers, by all means grab and stash him for 2013 and beyond.

For roto owners only concerned with this season, unless there’s a specific slot for “minors” talent, I wouldn’t recommend upending your roster for a few weeks of hot-and-cold Harpermania. He may be the greatest young hitter since Tony Gwynn…but he’s still just a teenager.

And great fantasy success, historically speaking, is usually reserved for the 20-something crowd.

Harper seasonal targets: Six homers, 24 RBI, 27 runs, seven steals, .258 batting.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Every fantasy owner has trades they look back on at the end of the year and say “what was I thinking?” But that is not what this article is meant to prevent. That will happen every year because, in all reality, you can’t see the future, so some trades are bound to not work out. 

This article is meant to stop the trades you regret the next day. Its important to note these are not rules, but merely tips and suggestions coming largely (though not exclusively) from personal experience. 

Lastly, I strongly encourage anyone with other tips and experiences to share in the comments when you’re done reading. Every league is different, and no one is immune to bonehead mistakes. 

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As I’m sure most of you know at this point, Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber tossed the 21st perfect game in major league history.

Humber was absolutely masterful in Saturday’s 4-0 win against the Seattle Mariners, striking out nine and throwing just 96 pitches.

It was the least number of pitches in a perfect game since David Cone’s back in 1999—he threw 88 pitches in that contest.

That low number of pitches is mostly because of Humber’s ability to avoid three-ball counts. His first three-ball count of the afternoon didn’t come until the ninth inning.

He went 3-0 on Michael Saunders before striking him out, and he also went to a full count on Brendan Ryan before striking him out to end the contest.

I’m sure many of you are in fantasy leagues if you’re reading this article, and I’m sure many of you will have the same question: Should I add Humber?

Well, I’m going to present you with some facts first.

Personally, I am just a member of several CBS fantasy leagues, as I prefer their scoring system and overall layout. So, here is the information on Humber from CBS.

Owned/Started prior to start: 29 percent/22 percent

Owned/Started now (will likely increase): 42 percent/18 percent

Points prior to start: 9.5

Points now: 42 (32.5 came from this start)

Clearly, fantasy managers around the nation have added Humber to their squads in hopes of him continuing his recent success.

If you can afford to drop a player and add Humber to see if he can pitch well yet again, I say, why not?

If you have to drop a player who can help you in the stretch run, I strongly urge you to resist the temptation of picking up Humber.

On the season, Humber is currently 1-0 with an ERA of 0.63 through 14.1 innings.

Last season, his first as a regular member of the rotation, Humber went 9-9 with an ERA of 3.75. Through 163 innings, he struck out 116.

Those numbers are respectable in a major league rotation, but not so much in a fantasy rotation.

In leagues where strikeouts are valuable and wins earn extra points, Humber actually wasn’t that valuable last season. Add in the fact that some leagues actually dock points for losses, and Humber is even less valuable.

I don’t expect much more out of him this season, even though he’ll likely make more starts than he did in 2011 (26).

Overall, I predict a 12-10 season from the 21st member of the perfect game club. He’ll likely throw around 175 innings, but won’t strike out more than 130 batters.

Those numbers translate to a possible injury-replacement fantasy starter, but definitely not someone to keep on your roster for the long haul.

Congratulations, Mr. Humber, on your historic accomplishment. Unfortunately, it still hasn’t warranted you a spot on my fantasy team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The following slideshow touts the top 15 waiver-wire pickups right now, a countdown of the best free agents from the majority of 12-team roto leagues. For the most part, this list rewards players who have already fostered productive starts to the 2012 season.

Savvy readers will notice the rankings are different from last week’s offering; and that can be attributed to the waiver-wire graduations of Zack Cozart, Jordan Schafer, Henry Rodriguez, Danny Duffy and Lance Lynn—forgotten assets on draft day but now invaluable pieces with their current teams. And that’s how it should be with this list: Here today, gone tomorrow.

Enjoy the show!

Begin Slideshow

If your fantasy baseball team is off to a slow start, you had better hit the waiver wire and see what’s out there.

There’s more out there than you probably think. A lot of players are off to surprisingly hot starts this season, and relatively few fantasy owners have picked them up yet. Some are worth adding, and some aren’t.

Here’s a rundown of players who are worth adding.

Kyle Drabek, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

Talent has never been an issue when it comes to Kyle Drabek. The question regarding him was whether or not he could be consistent.

So far, so good this season. Drabek has won both of his starts, and he has a 1.42 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He has 10 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched.

Drabek has excellent stuff, so it’s no real surprise that he’s striking hitters out and holding them to a .200 batting average. He had just one walk in his most recent start against the Baltimore Orioles, in which he went 7.1 innings.

Despite his hot start, Drabek is owned in just 18 percent of Yahoo! leagues and in just 3.4 percent of ESPN leagues. Given his high ceiling, he should be owned on a lot more teams than that.

Chris Iannetta, C, Los Angeles Angels

The perfect fantasy catcher is one who hits for both average and power.

Meet Chris Iannetta. Every fantasy owner should know who he is by now, but a lot of owners apparently haven’t noticed that Iannetta is hitting .308 with a pair of home runs and eight RBI.

Both of Iannetta’s dingers came at Yankee Stadium, as well as four of his RBI. However, he was off to a hot start even before the Angels got to New York. 

With catchers, you oftentimes have to be content to ride the hot hand. Until further notice, Iannetta has a hot hand, and he’s owned in just 31 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 4.3 percent of ESPN leagues.

Nolan Reimold, OF, Baltimore Orioles

The entire Orioles offense has been on fire to start the season, and Nolan Reimold has been right in the middle of it.

So far this season, Reimold is hitting .353 with three home runs and a .706 slugging percentage. He enters Tuesday with a seven-game hit streak.

Reimold’s hot start is not a huge fluke. Remember, he had a solid rookie season in 2009, when he hit .279 with 15 home runs. He had issues in 2010 and 2011, but he’s looked every bit like the player we expected he would be back in 2009.

Reimold is owned in just 21 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 2.5 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jordan Schafer, OF, Houston Astros

Need speed? I recommend giving Jordan Schafer a look. 

Schafer is already up to five stolen bases this season, and he’s also scored nine runs. He isn’t hitting for a high average, but he’s doing a good job of drawing walks to get on base.

Schafer won’t do much besides steal bases and score runs, but those are two categories that a lot of owners tend to overlook. Schafer can help you there, and he’s particularly valuable in NL-only leagues.

Schafer is owned in 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 43.3 percent of ESPN leagues.

Jake Westbrook, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

Jake Westbrook has lasted exactly seven innings in each of his first two starts, and he’s allowed exactly one earned run.

Westbrook isn’t doing anything fancy. He’s not striking hitters out, but he’s getting a ton of ground balls, as he is wont to do. His sinker is working again after it abandoned him in 2011.

Westbrook is obviously not going to be able to maintain a 0.64 ERA. His numbers are going to level out. However, it must be kept in mind that Westbrook has the National League’s best offense at his back, so picking up him is a chance to get some cheap wins.

Westbrook is owned in 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues and 11.1 percent of ESPN leagues.

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So, you spaced on the day of your fantasy draft and auto-drafted four catchers, ten starters and no closers.

Or maybe you drafted Andrew Bailey, Kyle Farnsworth, Matt Thornton and Joakim Soria. Have no fear.

While none of these relievers are fantasy studs, saves are a hot commodity, and astute waiver wire pickups can make all the difference over the long fantasy season.

The discerning save vulture can still make a run at the fantasy title, but you have to strike while the iron is hot and add these closers immediately.

Begin Slideshow

Here are five ways to recover the numbers lost from Jacoby Ellsbury‘s six- to eight-week absence from the Red Sox lineup (dislocated shoulder)…without necessarily gutting your fantasy roster.

(That may be a lie.)  

Option No. 1: Grab Cody Ross off waivers

OK, so this isn’t the most exciting way to start a column, but with Carl Crawford (hand) still nursing his way back into the lineup, Ross will undoubtedly be granted full-time at-bats for the foreseeable future.

For the 2008-09 seasons with the Marlins, he combined for 46 homers, 163 RBI and 132 runs. Given his age (31) and the cozy dimensions of Fenway Park, Ross has a chance to replicate the numbers of years past—at least on a per-game basis.

Since the Red Sox are already thin with starting pitching and the bullpen, I doubt club execs will make a substantial trade for an outfielder in Ellsbury’s stead. The team’s best minor-league option may be Bryce Brentz…but even that seems like a short-term step down from Ross and his 22-homer potential.

Option No. 2: Target Jason Bay, Mike Carp, Will Venable, Brandon Belt or Jon Jay in free-agent waivers

All five outfielders certainly have their warts—Bay and Belt are slumping, Carp’s been hurting and Venable and Jay are routinely overlooked in fantasy circles—but hey, that’s why they’re free agents in most leagues.

Astros center fielder Jordan Schafer would have been the best available Ellsbury clone earlier in the week, but you’ll never go unwanted in fantasyland after collecting five steals in a 48-hour period. He’s gone.

Look, unless you’re playing in a 12-team league full of absentee borderline moronic owners, it’s going to be a tough road without Ellsbury. We’re talking about a top-six outfielder (although no one should expect 32 homers again) and top-15 overall asset. It’s nearly impossible to flourish in his absence.

But in short bursts, Bay (four-category factor), Carp (25-75 guy in the minors), Venable (20-steal potential), Jay (poor man’s Martin Prado) and Belt (future NL batting champion) can bring a level of fantasy respect to anyone’s team.
 

Option No. 3: Grab Chone Figgins off waivers, or trade for Mark Trumbo

Before Opening Day, Figgins was only 3B-eligible and one of baseball’s more anemic corner-infield options. But with a seemingly permanent spot in the outfield (left or center field) after just nine games, Figgins (.270, 4 RBI, 1 SB) should garner full outfield eligibility sometime in the next 10 days, making him attractive to owners who crave modest three-category success and dual-position versatility.

Regarding the 1B-eligible Trumbo, he should have full 3B eligibility sometime around April 25. Depending on how the Angels handle the Mike Trout and Vernon Wells situations, Trumbo (29 HRs in 2011) could see up to 30 games in the outfield this season.

For owners of Ellsbury (105 RBI, 119 runs, 32 steals last year) and Emilio Bonifacio (2B-3B-OF eligibility), a sneaky Trumbo acquisition would subsequently bump Bonifacio to the outfield spot in Ellsubry’s place.

As a secondary move, I highly endorse the act of grabbing Trout (baseball’s No. 1 prospect) off waivers ASAP, in anticipation of a May call-up that will be permanent (and enriching).

Bottom line: Replacing Ellsbury’s eight-week production doesn’t necessarily demand the plug-and-play addition of an outfielder. It can also come from a simple redistribution of current assets, prompted by a modest trade.

And for those with grander thoughts… 

Option No. 4: Trade your Round 1 superstar

During spring training, Ellsbury had an Average Draft Position value of 15, meaning the majority of his owners also grabbed Joey Votto, Robinson Cano, Justin Verlander, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez or Prince Fielder with their low Round 1 selection.

The quickest way to overhaul the composition of your roster involves a simple six-word email/message-board dictum to the rest of the league: “(Superstar’s name) is on the block!” This should draw immediate responses, in the general form of four trade proposals:

• 1-for-1 value: Jon Lester, Dan Haren, Nelson Cruz, Hunter Pence or Starlin Castro
• 1-for-2 value: Melky Cabrera and Bud Norris
• 3-for-2: (Round 1 star)/Yovani Gallardo/Jordan Schafer for Ian Kennedy/Matt Holliday
• 2-for-3: (Round 1 star)/Matt Moore for Jason Heyward/Jason Kipnis/Max Scherzer 

Option No. 5: Put Ellsbury on the trade block

The final solution requires certain fantasy owners to perform an honest assessment of their rosters and prospects for the entire season.

1. Can my team endure/absorb the two-month loss of Ellsbury?
2. What are the chances I’ll be in ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th place overall on June 10?
3. What other areas (outfield aside) are in need of significant help?
4. What categories or positions could not sustain a key injury?

If the above answers are roundly negative, it may be time to make the early executive decision of selling Ellsbury to the highest bidder, as a means of fortifying the outfield and one other area of concern.

After all, if your club was barely a pennant contender before Ellsbury’s right shoulder had a fluke encounter with Rays shortstop Reid Brignac, then perhaps it’s time to cut your April losses…and hope for a profitable return in May and June.

This is where it pays not to get too attached to original draftees. Very few teams can win a roto championship without disrupting the core, via trade, at some point; and whether these hard decisions occur in mid-April or late July, change is inevitable.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the first week of the Major League Baseball season almost coming to a close, it is time to check your waiver wire and pick up that potential bench player who will soon be a fantasy must-start. 

This first player has been amazing in minor leagues and even better in spring training this season, hitting nearly .391. He also just happens to be  the No. 2 bat in the Kansas City Royals’ lineup: center fielder Lorenzo Cain.

Now I know what you are going to say: spring training is nothing. However, this 25-year-old will provide a right-handed bat between leadoff man Alex Gordon and No. 3 hitter Eric Hosmer, both lefties. This will skyrocket Cain’s fantasy value as he will not only receive more at-bats but he would be on base in front of more accomplished hitters. 

Cain also has a ton of upside in terms of power, speed and can hit for a high average as well. He’s projected to hit 15 home runs this season and has potential to get 20-plus stolen bases and a .280 batting average. He has had seven successful seasons at the minor league level with a career batting average of .295.

Even in the major leagues, Cain didn’t sweat: He had a batting average of .306 with seven stolen bases in just 43 games playing for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010.

Kansas City is giving Cain a full-time gig now and he will get playing time everyday. More importantly, he is owned in just 39 percent of ESPN Fantasy Leagues. 

The second player of today’s must-pick-up fantasy stars happened to play 134 games, had over 464 at-bats, hit 16 home runs, drove in 51 RBIs, and had a batting average of .259 while battling hand and wrist injuries all throughout last season: Texas Rangers first baseman Mitchell Moreland.

This power hitting lefty was on fire in the early part of last season before fading down the stretch due to the hand and wrist ailments mentioned above.

Moreland had surgery in the offseason to repair those injuries and is back to 100 percent and will look forward to getting a ton of at-bats this season. 

The trouble with Moreland is, because he is left-handed, he struggles against left-handed pitching: In his career against lefties, he’s hitting just .229 with one home run and 13 RBI in 131 at-bats. So be prepared to play him on a match-up basis.

That was evident when Rangers manager Ron Washington took Moreland out of the lineup this past Friday because the Chicago White Sox were starting left-hander John Danks, and Washington said he wanted as many right-handed hitters in the lineup as possible.

Moreland is a worthy pickup, especially against right-handed pitching and is owned in 81 percent of ESPN leagues. He is also the third most-added first baseman this past week. 

Next on our list, and least-owned (available in 95 percent of ESPN leagues) is San Diego Padres starting pitcher Edinson Volquez.

Baseball fans might remember Volquez from his days as a Cincinnati Red when he was selected to represent the NL in the 2008 MLB All-star game. That season, Volquez was 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA, striking out 206 batters in only 196 innings. Since then, he has been battling injuries, failing to put together a full, healthy season.

The right-handed Volquez came to San Diego in an offseason trade for Mat Latos and moved right into the Opening Day role after Tim Stauffer was placed on the DL. In his first start this past Thursday, Volquez gave up three runs on three hits, but struck out seven batters and was stuck with the loss. 

However, it was a solid performance and the move to San Diego’s Petco Park makes this high-strikeout righty worth a look in all formats. Petco Park is a pitcher’s ballpark, and as long as Volquez remains healthy he will be a solid starter to add to your rotation.

Stop whatever it is your doing and get on your laptop or cell and immediately pick up one of these fantasy gems. If you are at a family event or church for Easter, just excuse yourself to use the bathroom and then just add, drop and these players will take care of the rest. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com