Webb of misfortune

Brandon Webb will not pitch for at least six more weeks due to what is considered a strained muscle in the back of his throwing shoulder.

Fantasy Impact: This is about as bad as the news could get for Webb. Nobody expected him to require surgery after a negative MRI on the shoulder, but he hasn't thrown since opening day, and now he's gone until at least June. Yusmeiro Petit will start in his absence for the time being.

Webb's successful game of catch

After the most anticipated game of catch in the world Friday, April 17th, Brandon Webb said his arm is feeling better.

They threw for about 10 minutes, with manager Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price watching, but Webb said he needed almost no time to realize how much better he was feeling.

"I was a little apprehensive letting it go right off the bat, but as soon as I started throwing I was like, 'This feels totally different from what it did (before),' " he said.

Fantasy Impact: This is obviously one small step for Webb in the recovery process. He's going to have to clear a couple more hurdles before he even considers pitching in a game again.

Webb disabled

Brandon Webb might have no structural damage in his right shoulder, but he's on the disabled list, anyway. The Diamondbacks' stopper will be out at least another ten days.

Webb of insurance problems

Diamondbacks starter Brandon Webb failed to secure an insurance policy in the offseason because insurance companies were worried about his right arm.

But in using a higher standard when assessing potential risk, multiple agencies had concerns, which created a "red flag" for the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks General Manager Josh Byrnes would neither confirm nor deny the report, telling The Arizona Republic Thursday, "When it comes to details pertaining to negotiations, it's not something I want to talk about on or off the record."

"In the short term," Byrnes continued, "we will continue to monitor Brandon's (health) status and I believe he will be back on the mound shortly. We'll keep everyone notified of that, but talking about his contract or any negotiations is not something we want to talk about."

The more we hear about Webb's shoulder problems, the more concern grows. Here's a pitcher who's logged a lot of innings the past several years and couldn't get an insurance policy for his arm. That can't be a good thing.

Fantasy Impact: Webb will miss his next start. We do want to remember that the Diamondbacks ace passed a physical to play this year. We don't believe that's proof that he's OK to pitch at the Major League level. This latest revelation should have fantasy owners worried.