Pierre impact

There's no reason to critique the Manny Ramirez situation other than to say Manny's 50-game suspension means owners will have to stash their prized outfielder for what amounts to a near two-month injury. That's brutal.

What's interesting is the sudden emergence of Juan Pierre. The Dodgers fourth outfielder suddenly finds himself in the starting lineup again, and the pressure is off. Pierre will bat at the bottom of the order and merely has to do a serviceable job in order to keep the Dodgers hot while Manny is out.

Fantasy Impact: Grab Pierre. There's nothing to lose. The lifetime .300 hitter went 2-4 with a steal and a caught stealing in his first game as a starter. The Dodgers are unlikely to find a better replacement in the outfield via trade, so Pierre should see regular at bats for the 50 days without Manny. If you already have him on your roster, reap the benefits of a decent average and a good number of stolen bases.

DL possible for Ankiel

Although initial reports said Rick Ankiel was fine after his head-first dive into the left-center field fence in St. Louis, Ankiel's prognosis might mix in a DL stint.

Tony La Russa said the Cardinals would likely wait a few more days before deciding on whether to put Ankiel on the 15-day disabled list. The decision depends on his improvement.

La Russa says Ankiel is "more sore in some places and not as sore other places."

Ankiel watched from the dugout during Tuesday's loss to the Phillies. La Russa said it was highly unlikely Ankiel could play Thursday in the finale of a four-game homestand.

Fantasy Impact: The more time Ankiel misses, the more chances rookie Colby Rasmus gets to show his promise. Rasmus is certainly worth the flier for a couple of weeks if Ankiel hits the DL.

Can McCann see?

Brian McCann must be annoyed. The Braves catcher got Lasik surgery in 2007, but that surgery to improve his eyesight caused blurriness. McCann tried contacts, but they were uncomfortable. He then ordered prescription lenses, and while the product arrived a day early, the packaged did not contain his prescription.

McCann is expected to play for the Braves on Friday. He might get one game in at the minor league level with the correct lenses before he arrives.

Fantasy Impact: McCann was the premier player at his position fantasy-wise before the problem surfaced the spring, but his average dropped to .195 due to his inability to see the baseball well. We'd like to see some results before we return to trusting McCann on a regular basis, but at the talent-strapped catching position we'd still start him right away.

Tolbert takes Casilla's roster spot

Rumor had it Twins second baseman Alexi Casilla might lose his starting spot. It's actually much worse than that for the second-year pro. The Twins sent the struggling Casilla to Triple-A and recalled Matt Tolbert. He will start tonight at second.

"I think he's getting so flustered offensively that it just carried over to the whole game," manager Ron Gardenhire said Wednesday before the Twins opened a three-game series against the Orioles. "That's why you send him down. He's just mentally a wreck right now as far as being able to play the game. He's got too many things going on."

The last straw came Monday night when Casilla didn't hustle after hitting a popup.

"Pop fly and ran with the bat all the way to first base, not really running. And that's just not acceptable," Gardenhire said. "It's just not the way we play the game. Especially after the night before, not running when he bunted a ball."

Fantasy Impact: Tolbert is one of those decent contact types who slugs for nearly nothing. We'd consider stashing Casilla, because he might be back soon, but we weren't excited about him in the first place.

Capps elbow woes

Matt Capps experienced a sharp pain in his pitching elbow after Monday's meltdown against Milwaukee. An MRI Tuesday revealed no structural damage, but Capps will miss a few days. That leaves Tyler Yates and John Grabow potentially sharing the closer role for the time being.

Fantasy Impact: The harbinger of something more? Capps missed time in 2008, but he's fairly reliable when healthy. Yates hasn't exactly gotten the job done himself this year, but he's going to be the guy when the matchups require a right-hander. Expect Grabow to close games against lefty bats. We like Yates a touch better as an overall saves candidate in the interim as the Pirates might want to keep the lefty Grabow in a setup role.

Porcello powered by revamped Tigers lineup

Tigers rookie starter Rick Porcello provided his best major league effort to date, and the Tigers revamped lineup gave him plenty of space to work with in a 9-0 victory over the Twins.

Porcello threw seven innings of shutout ball while Jim Leyland slid Josh Anderson into the leadoff spot and batted usual leadoff man Curtis Granderson fifth

Fantasy Impact: The young Porcello is looking to be a mercurial pitcher at this stage of his career as his ERA falls to just 4.71. He's got some work to do before he's a consistent option in fantasy leagues.

Granderson and Miguel Cabrera both homered in the new-look lineup while Anderson went 2-5 and scored a run. If it ain't broke, Jim Leyland, we'll see the same lineup tomorrow, right? This may bode well for both Anderson and Granderson owners.

Brewers protecting Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman apparently won't pitch on three straight days, so Todd Coffey and Carlos Villanueva owners may want to take note. Villanueva got the opportunity to close out a game Tuesday night against the Pirates, and he converted the chance cleanly for his third save in six tries. Brewers win, 8-5.

Fantasy Impact: We still like Coffey for the stray saves, but Villanueva is an OK option in very deep pitching leagues. Hoffman is up there in years, so his careful handling by the Brewers can be expected. He's a good No. 2 saves option in most fantasy leagues.

Grilling the Grilli angle

With Huston Street and Manny Corpas on a closer roller coaster this season, the idea of the steady Jason Grilli taking over has surfaced in Denver. No, Grilli isn't really a candidate right now, but fans posed the question to Denver Post writer Troy E. Renck, and he shot the idea down, point-blank.

Fantasy Impact: Grilli's improving ERA is quite impressive. It's down year after year after year, all the way to 1.04 this season. He owns 12 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings. He also owns the Rockies setup role, and it doesn't appear that will be changing anytime soon. His fantasy value is extremely limited unless Street struggles again. If Grilli continues to succeed at that time while Corpas struggles, Grilli would be up against Alan Embree for save chances.

Ankiel meets wall

Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel survived a scary moment Monday night after running hard into the wall after a fly ball. He made the catch, but paid for it dearly. Amazingly, the Cardinals say Ankiel is just a little sore, according to Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino.

Victorino, anxious when he came to bat in the ninth, asked catcher Jason LaRue how Ankiel was doing and was assured by what he heard.

"LaRue said (Ankiel) felt fine, that he was a little sore, that it wasn't anything where he wasn't moving or anything like that," Victorino said.

"I'm glad he was able to give a thumbs-up (when Ankiel was carted off the field). I'm sure he's going to be sore, but I hope nothing more comes about tonight.

"... I only wish him the best and that it didn't do too much damage.

"It was a great play. He went a long way to get the ball."

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard said, "When I saw (Ankiel) stumble, I knew he was going face-first into the wall. I was just waiting for some movement. I saw him move his arms and said, 'All right. That's good. He's still got feeling.'"

Fantasy Impact: We'll start Colby Rasmus in place of Ankiel for at least a day or two. Rasmus looks to be on the verge of breaking out in his first full major league season, anyway.

Sherrill sharing closer role

After saying he'd gladly hand he role back to a rehabilitated Chris Ray in the offseason, George Sherrill had his closer role taken away by the Orioles on Monday.

The O's will go with a closer-by-committee setup until someone emerges, but the requisite names of Chris Ray, Dennys Baez and Jim Johnson all got mentioned in articles today. None excites us, although we'd have to believe Ray's experience in the role might eventually make him the fallback option. Baez has pitched best this year, so he'll certainly be the name floated by most fantasy baseball resources. His previous season's ERA of 6.44, however, is not a confidence-builder.

Fantasy Impact: Stash Ray. He lost the role due to injury and will eventually take his turn. Oddly enough, Baez worked two innings in middle relief for a win Monday night while Johnson and Sherrill followed in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively for an 8-4, non-save victory over Tampa. It was like nothing had changed in Baltimore.

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.

Parker promoted to Double-A

Jarrod Parker pitched a ho-hum Double-A debut on Saturday for the Mobile BayBears. The Arizona farmhand, considered one of the top prospects in baseball, wasn't expected to make the majors this year. With Brandon Webb on the DL, however, and the Diamondbacks struggling to compete, a mid- to late-season call-up is not out of the question.

Fantasy Impact: Stash the young man on your watch list. He's exciting, although he's probably a year or year-and-a-half away from making a significant impact.

Young arms in Baltimore?

Baltimore owns a number of young guns that are set to make major impacts at the big league level. Brad Bergesen has already arrive. Chris Tillman and David Hernandez would appear to be next in line.

Tillman started the year with Norfolk of the International League, and he's dominating the competition through four starts. He's 2-0 through four starts with a 2.77 ERA. He's struck out 21 batters in 19 innings, but he needs to work on his command having walked nine batters.

Hernandez hasn't shown the same kind of success in certain areas: 1-1, 4.58 ERA in four starts, but in others he's excelled. Hernandez owns 32 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched.

Fantasy Impact: It's a bit early to expect the trio of Bergesen, Tillman and Hernandez throwing in the majors together soon. Bergesen is the obvious choice to pick up as he's already working for the Orioles, but Tillman and Hernandez certainly can't be that far away. The youngters are looking up at a terrible MLB rotation that is currently rounded out with Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson. Both have struggled badly. We suggest that you keep a close eye on Baltimore. If the O's continue to look like a last-place team, the cavalry may come in the form of both Tillman and Hernandez.

Welcome, Matt LaPorta

Recently called up Matt LaPorta, acquired in the CC Sabathia deal from Milwaukee, started immediately for Cleveland on Sunday. He struggled against Tigers starter Justin Verlander, striking out twice in three at bats while leaving four runners on base. He made the final out of the game, going 0-4.

Verlander did strike out 11 batters in seven innings, so it wasn't just LaPorta who struggled to see the ball.

Fantasy Impact: It's not an ideal debut for the 24-year-old LaPorta. He was hitting .333 with five home runs in Triple-A. He's potentially here to stay, but LaPorta is a part time player to start with.

Ziegler out with flu

It turns out that A's closer Brad Ziegler's medical condition was simply a bout with the flu. It kept him out of action again on Saturday.

Michael Wuertz pitched again in the closer role for the Oakland A's, notching his second save of the year in a 3-2 victory over Seattle. Wuertz may be getting the save opportunities because Santiago Casilla is on the DL with a strained right knee ligament.

Fantasy Impact: We believe it's safe to say that Ziegler is the closer the moment he returns. With Casilla out, Wuertz is the top candidate for stray saves.

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.

Dye injured

Jermaine Dye took a fastball off his left hand during an at bat late in the White Sox game at Texas. Dye looked to be in a lot of pain while he was examined. He then walked off ahead of the medical staff and did not return.

One of the White Sox announers suggested that because his hand was not on the bat when the ball struck Dye might be OK. I've never heard that proposed before, but it might have some merit.

Roughing up Rivera

Mariano Rivera gave up his second homer of the season on Wednesday, a three-run shot to Curtis Granderson. Rivera then recorded the final out in a rare 1/3 inning of work to finish the Yankees 8-6 victory over Detroit. Rivera has allowed two homers this April. The 39-year-old's previous high for home runs in a season as Yankees closer is four. His ERA spiked to 3.12.

Fantasy Impact: We love Mariano Rivera and expect him to be fine from here on out. We also realize that Rivera's age must begin to be a concern at some point, and advise owners in keeper leagues to be aware of his recent struggles. If the home run numbers come up, that could be an indication that time is catching up to the sure-fire Hall of Famer.

Bullpen blues for Piniella

Kevin Gregg walked three straight batters in the eighth against Arizona, including walking in a run. His ERA climbs to 6.23. Don't panic, Gregg owners, because Carlos Marmol's ERA jumped to 6.75 as he walked in two Diamondbacks earlier in the game. Gregg is the Cubs closer, Marmol is the setup man and Jeff Samardzija might be the dark horse to leap both for the closer role. Samardzija struck out two of the three Diamondbacks he faced, although he did give up a 2-RBI double to Justin Upton. Both of the runs were charged to Marmol as the Cubs lose 10-0.

Fantasy Impact: We're not speculating that Samardzija will earn the closer job imminently, but we're thinking Lou Piniella might need to get creative if he wants to solidify his 'pen. Samardzija is an intriguing talent - a hard-throwing stud with movement and a steady demeanor. If Marmol and Gregg continue to implode, Piniella's hand may eventually be forced. Keep an eye on the situation, especially if Samardzija begins to take off in his setup role.

Closer dilemma in Denver

Manny Corpas had the day off anyway, but Huston Street might make it a two-horse back of the bullpen again with his second save of the season. Street struck out three straight Padres en route to a 7-5 Rockies win. Corpas is still the closer, but it's not long before Clint Hurdle re-evaluates the position for a second time this season.

Fantasy Impact: As has been the case in recent seasons, the Rockies bullpen remains a work in progress. Neither Street nor Corpas appears to be a great source for saves in 2009 as each takes away from the other and then gives back what he's taken. Corpas is the better bet while he's in the role, but that can change on the whim of Hurdle.