Jim Henderson (RP-MIL): The Brewers' closer was pulled with 2 outs in the 9th and a 1-run lead against the Pirates with an apparent hamstring injury. Francisco Rodriguez (the reliever formerly known as K-Rod) recorded the final out to pick up his first save of the season. Henderson said he injured the hamstring while throwing a pitch and has never felt such a pain before. Brewers' manager Ron Roenicke said afterwards that the team will reevaluate him tomorrow but added "I don't think it's going to be just a day." Fantasy owners are holding their collective breaths as Henderson has been fantastic so far, going a perfect 9 for 9 in save chances with a 23:5 K:BB ratio in 19 innings. He was looking quite legit, especially with the improvements he has made against lefties (.934 OPS against in 2012, .544 OPS against in 2013). While K-Rod has retired all 10 batters he has faced this season, I wouldn't rush to grab him: Henderson may miss little time, and even if he lands on the 15-day DL, the Brewers would likely go closer-by-committee.
Jordan Zimmermann (SP-WAS): Jordan Zimmermann became the NL's first 8-game winner on Friday. He allowed only 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 0 walks with 1 strikeout as he induced a bunch of weak contact from Phillies' hitters. That's the kind pitcher he has developed into, as he is walking fewer batters (1.8% fewer) inducing more ground balls (5.6% more) and allowing fewer line drives (1% fewer). However, some caution is in order: while his ERA sits at 1.62, his xFIP sits at 3.40. The .235 BABIP is unsustainable. And his K-rate sits at a pedestrian 17%. While I wouldn't sell high in head-to-head leagues, I could see fielding reasonable offers in ROTO leagues.
Anthony Rendon (2B/3B-WAS): With the recent revelation that Danny Espinosa has been playing with a fractured right wrist since mid-April, Anthony Rendon has received some buzz about a potential promotion from AA Harrisburg. The mixture of a struggling Nationals' offense, Rendon's torrid pace at AA, and the fact that he's played 5 games at second has fueled the buzz. While manager Davey Johnson quelled such talk by suggesting he's a long ways away from handling second at the MLB level, I think Rendon is worth keeping an eye on and picking up if you have a bench spot available. He has produced a .330/.473/.635 line so far in the minors with a 30:23 BB:K ratio. Espinosa is likely going to miss significant time, and Stephen Lombardozzi has a career .633 OPS. With the Nats' primed to contend now and off to a mediocre start, the ingredients are there for a Rendon promotion in June.
Gerardo Parra (OF-ARI): After the news of Adam Eaton's unfortunate setback with his elbow injury and Jason Kubel's lingering quad issue, the underrated Parra suddenly grabbed some fantasy attention. While he was 0-3 with a walk last night at the dish and has cooled down to the tune of 1 for his last 17, Parra makes for a great #4/5 outfield target in standard mixed leagues. His season line now sits at .299/.371/.465 with 4 homers, 4 steals, 12 RBI, and 29 runs in 46 games. He has a very solid .61 EYE with 20 BB's and 33 K's. And he has the speed and contact skills to maintain his current .344 BABIP. While Kirk Gibson hit him 7th last night, Parra should see plenty of ABs out of the leadoff position, which would lead to a big boost in the runs category. I'm buying.
Everth Cabrera (SS-SD): The Fathers' lead off man logged another solid night at the plate, going 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored, including his 3rd homer of the year. Cabrera is now only 11 homers behind Justin Upton for the NL lead (wink, wink). Owners who drafted Cabrera to either be their starting SS in NL only leagues or MI option in mixed leagues drafted him for those steals, as he swiped 44 bags in 48 attempts last season. So far this year he is 18 for 22 and on pace for well over 60 steals. He is walking more this year (1% increase in BB rate), striking out less (5% decrease in K rate), and is hitting the ball with more authority (7.2% increase in line drive rate). I can see him easily maintaining his .254/.341/.354 line, which when coupled with 60 steals and 90 runs, isn't too shabby for what owners had to pay on draft day. For those in need of steals, Cabrera isn't as much of a one trick pony as he used to be, so if the price is right, pounce.
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