CATCHER

After having 1 hit in his last 40 ABs, Gerald Laird went 4 for 9 over the weekend.  AL-leaguers might finally get some use out of him.  The Nationals called up Josh Bard while Jesus Flores is hurting, but Wil Nieves still figures to get most of the playing time.  Ivan Rodriguez, hit his 5th HR of the year and is batting .286 with 19 RBI.  It was the 300th career round tripper and he's been proving some mixed league value.

FIRST BASE

Carlos Delgado is slated to undergo hip surgery and miss 2 months. Jerry Manuel will try to develop a platoon with Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis, and Jeremy Reed at first base.  The recent spell of flu-related illness has been troubling.  Conor Jackson landed on the DL and Joey Votto had to leave Saturday's game after experiencing dizziness.  Votto hit a homerun on Friday, but he's apparently not 100% yet.  Kevin Youkilis is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Monday.

SECOND BASE

Rickie Weeks is done for the year.  He was off to a decent start, but the oft-injured Weeks will require surgery on his wrist.  Craig Counsell will pick up the slack and is really left for deep NL-only leagues.  Asdrubal Cabrera's solid line of .311 / 29 runs / 6 SBs has him worthy of mixed league consideration.  At last check, he was owned in just 69% of Yahoo leagues.

SHORTSTOP

Edgar Renteria was out of the lineup for 3 games after pulling his hamstring.  The Giants called up Kevin Frandsen, but they don't expect a DL trip for Renteria.  Jose Reyes missed several games with a strained calf and his replacement, Alex Cora, landed on the disabled list.  The prognosis for Reyes is unclear, but the Mets are desperately trying to avoid the DL.

THIRD BASE

Joe Crede's back flared-up causing him to miss a few games.  Owners can expect to be littered with this type of news all season.  The Brewers called up Mat Gamel from Triple-A.  Gamel is a hot prospect that will garner his fair share of interest, but the Brewers might not keep him up past interleague play.  If you can afford the roster room, he's definitely worth the slot.  Otherwise, owners need to hope he hits so well that the Brew Crew has no choice but to leave him up.

OUTFIELD

Carlos Quentin returned to Chicago to have his left foot examined.  He has shown power with the 8 long balls, but he is without a homer in May.  Brandon Moss has 6 hits in his last 20 ABs (.600) with 8 runs scored.  He's still getting benched vs. tough lefthanders, so his value remains limited.  Gary Sheffield had 4 straight games with at least 2 hits and 2 runs scored.  Sheffield, along with Ryan Church, will see their playing time increased as the Mets continue to cope with injuries.

STARTING PITCHER

Manny Parra has given up 9 earned runs over his last 29 innings pitched (2.74 ERA).  He now has 3 consecutive victories and is looking like mixed league material.  John Lackey's first start was cut short after he was ejected for throwing at Ian Kinsler.  Ervin Santana gave up 3 runs over 5 innings during season debut.  It was a modest outing and the beginning of Santana getting back into game form.  Chris Carpenter will return Wednesday to face the Chicago Cubs.  He has a 7-3 career record versus the Cubbies with a 3.08 ERA. 

RELIEF PITCHER

BJ Ryan was activated from the disabled list, but Scott Downs will remain as the Blue Jays closer.  Downs has a 0.78 ERA and converted all 5 save opportunities.  The Rangers expect Frank Francisco to return Friday.  CJ Wilson picked up a win and 2 saves as the interim closer, but Francisco will directly return to the role.  David Aardsma will keep 9th inning duties leaving Brandon Morrow relegated to middle relief.  Morrow blew 2 saves in a row, ballooning his ERA to 9.58.  He's a much better pitcher than the stats indicate and he has a good shot to become Seattle's closer again.