CATCHER

Geovany Soto is only hitting .158 with 0 homeruns.  He's been nursing a shoulder injury for most of April, and his offense output is nonexistent.  Joe Mauer was activated on Friday and went 7 for 10 in his first 3 games.  Owners willing to roll the dice on Mauer are feeling pretty good so far.  Chris Iannetta is finally

FIRST BASE

Lance Berkman is batting .184 but has 6 HRs.  It seems to be just a matter of time before the Big Puma starts heating up.  Russell Branyan is playing above his head through April posting a .344 batting average with 6 HRs.  Owners can ride the hot streak until he inevitably comes back down to earth.  Jorge Cantu has 5 HRs after missing several games with a sore wrist.

SECOND BASE

Kelly Johnson was benched for a couple of games to help end his early-season slump.  Bobby Cox is making the right move - Johnson needs a mental break.  Chris Getz returned to action after missing 5 games with a fractured finger.  He was heating up before the lost time hitting .340 through the first three weeks of the season.  The A's recalled Gregorio Petit from Triple-A, which indicates little room for Eric Patterson.

SHORTSTOP

Jose Reyes is batting .258 with only 9 runs scored.  Once the rest of the Mets lineup is squared away, he'll return to his typical form.  Khalil Greene has been out with a strained forearm.  Greene still has a chance to perform well in St. Louis, but he often falls victim to the injury bug (Christian Guzman-light).  After 19 games, Jhonny Peralta finally hit his first HR of 2009.  He's a streaky hitter; so don’t give up on the 20 HR level yet.  Hanley Ramirez returned Saturday after missing several games with a sore hand.

THIRD BASE

Ryan Zimmerman extended his hit streak to 21 games.  Getting off to a fast start has been a problem for Zimmerman in the past (2008 April-.241 AVE/ 2007 April - .236 AVE/ 2006 April- .242 AVE).  This is a good sign that he is primed for a breakout year.  The A's have been using Bobby Crosby at 3B after placing Eric Chavez and Nomar Garciaparra on the DL.  Michael Young has hit safely in 10 out of his last 11 games.  Young has 6 HRs on the season and the RBI total will get a boost when he improves his horrendous .120 AVE with RISP.

OUTFIELD

The Indians called up Matt LaPorta and placed Travis Hafner on the DL.  LaPorta was on fire in Triple-A, so AL owners should give him a shot while mixed leaguers can monitor him very closely.  Milton Bradley returned to the lineup after missing a dozen games with a groin injury.  Kosuke Fukodome will see his playing time decrease against left handed pitchers.  Josh Hamilton was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained ribcage.  The Rangers have plenty of outfield depth to cover fantasy owners until his return.  Jason Bay and Ryan Braun both exited their games early with back troubles.  Fortunately, neither expects to miss significant time.  BJ Upton is 5 for his 23 ABs (.217).  Missing the first 2 weeks of the season has him a little behind; he'll regain respectability soon.

STARTING PITCHER

Carlos Zambrano will miss 2-3 weeks with a strained hamstring.  Zack Greinke’s undefeated start is amazing.  A lot has been made of his past troubles, but Greinke's 2008 owners clearly saw his potential.  Greinke won't keep the microscopic ERA, but he's proving that he can anchor a fantasy staff.  The Cubs rocked Yusmeiro Petit for 7 runs on Tuesday.  Petit has had a rough go while replacing Brandon Webb, but Arizona doesn't have better options.  Oliver Perez is looking like "Bad Ollie" is nearly every outing.  He may be sent to the DL, minors, or the bullpen soon - the Mets have to do something.

RELIEF PITCHER

The Astros expect Jose Valverde to miss 3-5 weeks with his calf injury.  LaTroy Hawkins will continue to get the bulk of save chances with Doug Brocail still hurting.  David Aardsma retains the closer role after Brandon Morrow landed on the DL with arm tendonitis.  Aardsma is only worth a look in AL-only leagues.  The Orioles may turn to Chris Ray for 9th inning duties if George Sherrill continues to struggle.  Brad Ziegler missed the entire week with the flu.  You see pitchers hit the DL with hangnails, but swine flu would be a new one.