Sean West: "Little Unit?"

The Florida Marlins recently recalled minor-leaguer Sean West to fill-out their ailing rotation. The 6'8, 200 lb lefty has earned comparisons to Randy Johnson during his time in the minors for both his long, lanky delivery and propensity for walks and strikeouts.

In two starts at the MLB level, West has mustered just seven Ks in 12 innings, and he showed his wildness the second time out by walking four batters in just five innings. West showed a willingness to battle each time out, throwing 91 pitches in both no-decisions. The Marlins eventually lost both games.

Fantasy Impact: The 22-year-old 2005 supplemental-round pick looks comfortable at the Major League level. Take a flier if you're in need of a power pitcher. He can kill you in leagues that penalize walks, but with an ability to limit hits, West's WHIP numbers should be tolerable.

Sean Rodriguez rumors heating up

By now you'd have to be living under a rock not to notice the hype Angels minor-league second baseman Sean Rodriguez is garnering. With Howie Kendrick going Rickie Weeks for the big league club, everyone is saying "move over, Brandon Wood," Rodriguez is the call-up flavor of the month of June.

Fantasy Impact: Rodriguez would appear to have a ton of pop with 17 home runs in 51 games at Triple-A. Last season, however, his Major League numbers did not impress. He's worth a flier if you're looking for middle infield options at this time, and isn't everyone? Get him before someone else takes the plunge and reaps potentially high rewards. Think a Dan Uggla type with Mike Fontenot numbers on the low end.

Padres & White Sox agree on Peavy deal

The Padres and White Sox have agreed on a deal that would send Jake Peavy to Chicago in exchange for four players, according to WSCR.

Peavy has a full no-trade clause and prefers to play in the National League, so there's a strong possibility the deal doesn't happen. The Sox are said to be offering Aaron Poreda and Clayton Richard as part of the trade.

Fantasy Impact: Peavy would be going to a smaller ballpark, but his electric stuff should work anywhere. He'll have a much more productive lineup around him as well, so his win potential improves. Richard would immediately become a starter with merit. Poreda might have a shot at the Padres roster this season.

Trading Zack Greinke

Yahoo! fantasy baseball readers believe Zach Greinke is the real deal. When asked if it's a good idea to sell, buy or hold Greinke right now, most respondents to Yahoo! Fantasy sports' poll said they'd keep the star right-hander. Afterall, Greinke is off to potentially one of the great pitching seasons in baseball history. Only about one quarter of readers said they'd deal him away at this time.

If the price is right, however, why not deal a guy who almost certainly can't keep up the pace? There's got to be someone willing to overspend. Just looking at Greinke's player page on CBSsports.com you can see some of the deals managers are making for his services.

One deal I caught:

Yovani Gallardo & Hanley Ramirez
for
Greinke & Michael Young

Ramirez is likely the best fantasy performer in that deal year in, year out. Gallardo is a stalwart ace if he stays healthy. While Greinke is the better pitcher in the deal right now, Young is a nice hitter who loses SS eligibility next year. His value diminishes greatly at third base. In a keeper league, this deal is a no brainer - trade Greinke.

There are deals out there to be had, so if you own Greinke, float some trade offers. You might be surprised at what you can get.

Rain on Whitesell's parade

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned first baseman Josh Whitesell back to the minors before today's double-header against the Marlins. Whitesell had been struggling to hit, going 3-26 since his call-up earlier this month. That doesn't mean he won't be back. The double-header called for an increased strain on the bullpen, so Whitesell's replacement came in the way of another arm, not a bat.

Fantasy Impact: We'd drop Whitesell due to his demotion and struggles at the plate. We'd also keep an eye on him and the Arizona corners. If Whitesell proves resurgent at Triple-A and either Mark Reynolds or Chad Tracy remains dormant, Whitesell can be back up in a matter of weeks.

Damn, Damon

Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon continues to hit well-above his head power-wise. Damon slugs his 10th homer of the 2009 season in the 10th inning for a walk-off win over Minnesota. He's hitting .324 from the No. 2 hole in New York's star-studded lineup.

Fantasy Impact: Can this hold up? Maybe. While Damon is 34 and hasn't hit more than 24 home runs in a single season, he's certainly showing more pop in his bat later in his career. New Yankee Stadium is seeing baseballs fly into the stands with alarming regularity, but it's not necessarily going to last. Damon's production will be expected to slow, but we think he's capable of hitting 25-30 homers thanks to his blistering pace. That makes him a great trade piece to a team needing another outfielder.

No longer on Holliday

Matt Holliday is showing signs of coming out of his early-season slump. The Athletics outfielder goes 4-4 with four singles and steals a base in an 11-7 loss to Detroit. Holliday's power numbers still lack (4 HR/.394 SLG entering Sunday), but his average is on a slow climb at .267.

Fantasy Impact: Holliday's numbers took a hit leaving Coors Field and switching leagues. He's adjusting to new pitchers and a tougher park in which to hit, but he's still an accomplished outfielder. We're expecting a .285 average with 25-30 homers by season's end, leaving him in the top tier of fantasy outfielders.

Sonnastine hits well, pitches poorly again

A lineup card mistake forced Rays starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine to bat on Sunday. The Rays submitted a lineup with both Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist listed at third base, meaning they had no DH. When Ben Zobrist played third to start the game, Indians manager Eric Wedge called the mistake to the attention of the umpiring crew.

"They had two third basemen, so I just wanted to make sure that Zobrist was in the game playing third, and I pointed it out to them after the top half of the first," Wedge said.

The Rays lost their DH position because of the error, meaning
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Sonnanstine replaced Longoria in the third spot of the lineup.

That forced Longoria to sit out, leaving Sonnastine in the No. 3 spot in the Rays' order. The pitcher doubled a run in the fourth, going 1-3 for the game, but he didn't pitch well. Sonnanstine allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings, as his ERA balloons to 7.36

Fantasy Impact: Sonnastine actually won the game to improve to 2-4 on the year. The Rays scored all seven runs without Longoria before he left. Tampa might need to make a decision on Sonnanstine soon, as his struggles certainly cannot be ignored much longer.

Glee for Lee

Cleveland starter Cliff Lee outpitched White Sox ace Mark Buehrle for a 4-0 win, just Lee's second of the season. It was Lee's first victory in nearly a month. Buehrle offered his worst effort of 2009, and it wasn't that bad, save for a pair of homers he allowed to Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko.

Fantasy Impact: Lee's disappointing start to the season leaves him unlikely to regain his 2008 Cy Young numbers, but he's still a solid fantasy option. Last season's breakout prompted overbuying of Lee in 2009, as his average draft position jumped to 64th overall in CBSsports.com fantasy leagues. That pegs Lee as a high-end No. 2 starter in most fantasy leagues, which he is not. Lee is more likely a low-end No. 2 or a No. 3 starter at this point in his career. We lean toward Lee as a No. 3, especially on an Indians team that's mired in last place.

Soriano blows save; Gonzalez notches sixth

Rafael Soriano blew his first save of 2009, but did so in the 8th inning of an eventual 8-7 Braves victory over the Mets in extra innings. Mike Gonzalez remains Atlanta's top choice for saves as he comes in to notch No. 6 on the season.

Fantasy Impact: There would appear to be some interchange between Soriano and Gonzalez to this point, but Gonzalez is still the closer in Atlanta. Soriano's earlier save chances came via Gonzalez's unavailability or use in a tight situation suited for a dominant lefty earlier in a game. Soriano blew this one in the eighth inning, meaning Gonzalez would have likely gotten the save chance with the lead in the ninth.

Zimmerman zeroed in

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is finally figuring it out. In the midst of a 29-game hitting streak, Zimmerman has put together a stellar 2009. He's batting .363 with eight home runs and looking every bit the part of a number four overall drat selection back in 2005.

Fantasy Impact: The hitting streak and the .363 average probably won't hold up, but Zimmerman was a breakout candidate in 2008 and just delayed the fireworks. Injuries kept him back as much as anything. With a thin third base crop this year, he's likely one of the steals of this year's draft day.

Jenks suspension looming?

Bobby Jenks' admission that he purposely threw behind Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler is being investigated by Major League Baseball. This sort of thing is not taken lightly, and Jenks very well could miss a game or two with a suspension. It happened to Josh Beckett for throwing "near" Bobby Abreu earlier this year.

Fantasy Impact: We're expecting Jenks to be sidelined for at least one, maybe two games. Because he admitted purposefully throwing the pitch, we do not expect an appeal.

Richard for Contreras

With Jose Contreras getting sent to the minors to work out his issues, the White Sox moved reliever Clayton Richard into the rotation.

Fantasy Impact: Richard was a dark horse to make the Sox rotation this spring, but with Contreras' return from injury and the addition of Bartolo Colon, he became a middle reliever. Richard struggled in 2008, posting a a 6.04 ERA in 13 appearances and eight starts. He's been stronger in 2009, but he only threw 16 1/3 innings in 11 outings. He probably won't have the initial stamina to contribute in a productive way.

Hello, Hochevar

Luke Hochevar is back in the bigs. Hochevar takes Joakim Soria's spot on roster as Soria hits the DL with his shoulder problem. Sidney Ponson leaves the Royals rotation for the bullpen, so it appears Hochevar is expected to stay in the rotation a while.

Fantasy Impact: Hochevar has dominated in the minors this season. He owned a 0.90 ERA and 5-0 record in six starts. While he struggled in his first major league season in 2008, Hochevar believes he's an improved pitcher thanks to the experience. He's a two-start pitcher for the week of May 11th. We like his upside and recommending adding him to the back of your rotation.

Soria sent to DL

Joakim Soria finds himself on the DL with his shoulder issues, as the Royals announce their bullpen-by-committee approach will continue. Juan Cruz is the most obvious choice to stand in for Soria for the next two weeks.

Fantasy Impact: Cruz has the stuff to be a closer, and his 1.88 ERA and 1.12 WHIP should entice owners needing stopgap options for their bullpen. Soria's shoulder is a definite concern and should be monitored closely. He's an elite closer when healthy, so if he's dropped on the waiver wire, pick him up for a DL slot.

Soria's sore shoulder

Joakim Soria's shoulder woes won't go away. The Royals closer continues to feel stiffness in his throwing shoulder despite medical work showing no actual injury.

"We probably don't have Jack [Soria]," manager Trey Hillman said before Saturday night's game against the Angels. "He was a little sore yesterday -- too sore for my liking to feel real comfortable. We'll probably go day-to-day."

Other than Soria's right shoulder being stiff, Hillman said he had no further information and that all medical tests had checked out OK.

"It's kind of new territory for me," Hillman said. "I felt he was a little bit behind to start [the season] and I'm still hopeful that that's what it is. I just don't know. Anything beyond that would be speculation on my part."

Fantasy Impact: This situation sounds similar to Brandon Webb's non-injury that turned into a two-month DL stay. Anytime a pitcher suffers shoulder troubles it's a big deal. Soria logged a lot of innings the past two seasons as a young pitcher, logging 69 and 67 1/3 innings at the ages of 23 and 24. It would be unfortunate that all the early success in his career begins to derail him.

It's hard to recommend a stop-gap option as Trey Hillman prefers a closer-by-committee approach if Soria is not available. Soria is not yet headed to the disabled list, so there is no reason to jump to the conclusion that he'll be unavailable for an extended period. You'll have to ride this one out.

Aramis Ramirez disabled

Aramis Ramirez separated his non-throwing shoulder diving for a ball in Milwaukee Saturday night. He's expected out four to six weeks.

Fantasy Impact: While it's not his right shoulder, we're still expecting Ramirez to be gone for the latter half of that estimate. A separated shoulder is not a good injury to have as it can impact a player's swing even when he's capable of playing again.

Look for Mike Fontenot to get the lion's share at third. He's already third-base eligible in a number of leagues, and this development should get him the starts he needs in most leagues. Ryan Freel, recently acquired from Baltimore, might be the leadoff man the Cubs craved at second base. Keep an eye on Freel.

Barry very steady

Barry Zito might have won just his first game of 2009 on May 8th, but his overall body of work is looking very solid.

Zito worked six innings of one-run baseball against the Dodgers on Friday night, allowing eight hits while walking two. He struck out five. While the WHIP total is a bit high, Zito got out of jams and lowered his ERA for the fourth straight performance. It's down to 3.57 now.

Fantasy Impact: Zito is still a risky start, but he's not nearly as bad as the beating he takes in the press. We suggest picking him up if he's still available on the waiver wire. Pitch him when the matchups are right against weaker and lefty-dominated lineups.

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.