Carlos Zambrano
After struggling in relief and failing to remedy the Chicago Cubs eighth-inning woes, Zambrano is moving back to the rotation. In eight relief appearances Zambrano posted a 6.23 ERA, not exactly what the Cubs are looking for in a setup man for closer Carlos Marmol. We all knew this was coming sometime this season, but fantasy owners are sure happy to have Zambrano back as a relevant pitcher. If he is available in your league grab him immediately. The Cubs plan to stretch him out in long relief and he should be ready to resume starting sometime next week.
Andre Ethier
Another big fantasy name lands on the DL. As Rollins and Ellsbury are finally returning to the active rosters for their Major League clubs, Ethier goes down with a broken pinkie. Team doctors say this type of injury could take up to three weeks to heal, keeping Ethier out of the Dodger's lineup and consequently fantasy lineups until mid-June. Ethier is a must start outfielder in all leagues so he should be stashed in every format. Garret Anderson and Reed Johnson should see the majority of playing time in Ethier's absence, but Xavier Paul was also recalled from Triple-A to fill his spot on the roster. As these outfielders will seemingly split time, none stands to gain mixed league fantasy relevance over the course of Ethier's DL stint.
Trevor Hoffman
It's a rarity to say that the all-time leader in any category has become irrelevant in fantasy, but that is exactly what Hoffman has managed to do. After leaving the Padres, with whom he spent the majority of his career (16 seasons) and set the all-time saves record, Hoffman has struggled to regain his stud closer form. This season has been his worst. Hoffman has converted on only 5 of his 10 save opportunities, giving up 19 earned runs and 21 hits in only 13 innings of work. After he blew a 4-2 lead against the NL Central leading Reds Tuesday afternoon, the Brewers may be looking elsewhere for their ninth-inning man—you should too. The Brewers seem to be leaning toward former closer Carlos Villanueva, but Todd Coffey could also be an option.
Feel free to email me at sandlotsabermetrics@gmail.com with fantasy questions to feature in my weekly Help Me Help You blog.
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