1. Alex Rios (OF - Blue Jays) - Alex Rios has finally heated up for his fantasy owners. Over the last 7 days, Rios has hit 2 HR and driven in 5 runs while hitting .429 wit a .478OBP . We've been waiting for Rios to really break-out to his "superstar" potential for quite some time (and frankly, I'm not sure if we're ever going to get there). For the season, he's posting a 0.60FPI and .775 OPS. This past week has been nice and is certainly a good sign, but he'll have to do it for the month of June for his owners to see the proper return for his draft position.
2. Denard Span (OF - Twins) - Maybe my infatuation with Denard Span transcends normalcy. But with two full months under our belt, Span has been consistent on the basepaths and at the plate. He's hitting .305 with a .779 OPS, 0.71 FPI, and an OBP of .383 (EYE of .83). He has 12 SB in 15 attempts with 5 in April, 6 in May, and 1 in June. With 32 runs, he is in the top-20 in the league in runs scored (10 off the lead) and ranked 8th in SB. His ownership continues to steadily climb week to week (starting at 46% and currently at 81% according to CBS Sports).
3. Travis Hafner (DH - Indians) - First his return was scheduled for Monday. Then, we were told Wednesday. Now, we're looking at more like Friday for Hafner's return to the lineup. The shoulder that Hafner has been rehabbing for the last few weeks is still giving him some problems and has delayed his return. With that said, even when Hafner returns to the lineup, manager Eric Wedge has already said he will be eased back into the lineup. That means you can't trust Hafner to play everyday just because he'll be back on Friday. Keep him benched with his current fantasy replacement until we see him in the lineup full-time. The bad news about his return at this point in the season is that interleague play will likely keep the DH-hittingHafner on the bench when in National League parks as well.
4. Josh Hamilton (OF - Rangers) - Hamilton was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with a very vague timetable for return. The once groin strain has now become an abdominal strain with the possibility of sports hernia surgery in the near future. The Rangers are seeking another opinion, but we could be looking at months on the bench if Hamilton has to go under the knife. Either way you look at it, he has to go straight to yourDL spot and watch the news over the next couple of days to see just how serious this DL-stint will be.
5. Kevin Slowey (SP - Twins) - Slowey is doing great, posting 5 quality starts in a row and bringing his record to 8-1 for the year with another gem on Tuesday. That brings his ERA to 3.97 (first time below 4.00 all season) and his WHIP to 1.35. The 25-year-oldSlowey had a slow start to the season, but really seems to be hitting his stride now. In the last 5 starts, he's 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The most impressive part ofSlowey's repertoire is his command, posting a K/BB of 7.0 with a BB/9 of just 0.93 with a K/9 of about 6.5. With so little walks allowed, expect his WHIP to continue to decline as the season progresses.
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? <a href="http://www.fantistics.com/join/join.php3"> Join today.
