Brian Roberts' bad back

Brian Robers is still hopeful to be ready for opening day, but the Orioles second baseman's health is in question after revealing he was diagnosed with a herniated disc this offseason.

"I'm not a doctor, so I don't know the repercussions of what certain things are, but, yeah, I think anytime you hear 'disk' and you hear 'back,' it's certainly frightening," Roberts said after doing a light workout. "We tried to do our due diligence and be seen by the right people and get the right advice. I think we did that, and now we're moving forward. It's going to be a little slow probably at the beginning, but it shouldn't set me back hopefully for [Opening Day] on April 6."

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said the club isn't concerned because Roberts has already responded well to medication and treatment.

Head athletic trainer Richie Bancells "has explained it to me that these are things that 90 percent of the time resolve themselves," MacPhail said. "As long as the symptoms keep improving, which they have with Brian, there really isn't anything for us to be alarmed about. We have a lot of time. We have six weeks. The position players aren't the same as pitchers in terms of getting ready, so there really isn't any concern amongst our group."

Then again, Roberts isn't your typical position player. Spring training will tell if Roberts can handle the demands of second base and still put together a productive offensive game that includes stealing bases.

Fantasy Impact: Roberts may say he can go, and the Orioles might be hopeful that he'll play to his all-star calibur, but fantasy owners should take note. We assume Roberts will drop from his standing as one of the top options off the board in a fantasy draft. Here's our second base rankings before and after learning of Roberts' bad back:

Before:
Chase Utley
Ian Kinsler
Aaron Hill
Dustin Pedroia
Ben Zobrist
Robinson Cano
Brian Roberts
Gordon Beckham
Brandon Phillips
Dan Uggla

After:
Chase Utley
Ian Kinsler
Aaron Hill
Dustin Pedroia
Ben Zobrist
Robinson Cano
Gordon Beckham
Brandon Phillips
Dan Uggla
Brian Roberts
Jose Lopez
Rickie Weeks
Martin Prado

We now slot Roberts as the 10th most productive second baseman after Brandon Phillips and Dan Uggla and just ahead of the versatile Jose Lopez. Roberts has two things against him now - he's 32, meaning his best days (especially as a player whose game is predicated on speed) are beginning to get behind him, and he's dealing with an injury. We'll take guaranteed production from Phillips' and Uggla's potent bats over a guy with a probable bad back who needs his body in optimal shape to produce.