Zambrano to be shelved?

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano will likely hit the disabled list regardless of today's MRI result on his injured hamstring. If Zambrano is out for a prolonged period of time, look for Jeff Zamardzija to get a chance at a few starts.

Fantasy Impact: Samardzija was a candidate to make the Cubs rotation to start the year. If Zambrano misses two to four weeks, Zamardzija could get his chances. Zamardzija will not be the first horse out of the gate, however, as he hasn't started in 17 days.

Uggla rests hammy

Dan Uggla sat out of Saturday's Marlins-Cubs game after straining a hamstring the day before.

I saw the play in which he was injured. Uggla stretched far off second base on a force play and nearly ended up doing the splits. At first look you could tell he was experiencing discomfort, but he stayed in the game.

Fantasy Impact: It sounds like the injury is a day-to-day situation, so you don't have to bench your power-hitting second baseman. If you have a decent alternative, however, you can leave Uggla on your bench Sunday to guarantee some fantasy points just in case.

Crawford clawing back

Rays left fielder Carl Crawford, who was hampered by a hamstring injury last season, is apparently back to full health again. Crawford is expecting bigger things in 2009.

''I changed my offseason workouts and focused on the hamstring,'' Crawford said. ``I still worked out, I just addressed the hamstring more than in the past.''

Instead of going to Phoenix where he always did his offseason regimen, Crawford stayed at home in Houston, ran on grass instead of artificial turf to aid his hamstring and worked out with a local Houston trainer.

The hope is to play in more games and bring the numbers back to normal. Last season was the first time Crawford's batting average dipped. He had hit over .300 for three consecutive seasons before batting .273 last year. The hamstring issues cost him on the bases, too. Crawford stole only 25 bases last season.

He averaged 51 steals over the previous five seasons, and in 2007 he became just the eighth player in history to reach 250 stolen bases and 1,000 hits before his 27th birthday. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said he believed Crawford was even more focused and ready for a big year.

Crawford could get turned loose this season as the Rays need to max out in order to win the improved AL East.

Fantasy Impact: Crawford typically went in the second round of most fantasy drafts, but not this year. I saw him slide to he fourth or fifth round in some mock drafts after his subpar season. I think the former is too early for his abilities, and the latter is too low. Crawford is a solid late third or early fourth round pick. He'll deliver in at least three categories, and with an improved team around him for a full season, he could mark consistently in four.