Velez might get to run

With Dave Roberts released by the San Francisco Giants, a roster spot opens for one of a number of younger players. A San Francisco Chronicle writer thinks that slot has Eugenio Velez's name all over it.

This is a really good sign for Eugenio Velez, the team's most influential baserunner and a potential backup at either second base or the outfield. It now seems likely that Velez will make the team, if for no other reason than the speed he brings off the bench.

Velez still fights for time with Emmanuel Burris and Kevin Frandsen. That means his fantasy value is limited to steals until he cracks the lineup on a regular basis. Even then he might be limited to merely stolen bases.