Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.Big Apple, we have a problem. And one that could be a major concern in fantasy baseball leagues, too.
Jose Reyes, undoubtedly a top-10 fantasy pick, left Wednesday's game against the Dodgers after aggravating a right calf injury while trying to leg out an infield single. Reyes had missed five straight starts with the injury, and it looks like a trip to the disabled list is a possibility at some point. The Mets can consider alternatives to watching Ramon Martinez twirl his toothpick bat -- like the versatile Mark DeRosa -- but the solution isn't so simple for fantasy owners relying on his speed.
Even if Reyes can dodge a DL stint, what good is he without his legs at 100 percent? You'd be better off starting someone like Marco Scutaro, who at least offers more runs and RBI production with modest speed. In terms of base-stealers, shortstops like Jason Bartlett and Ryan Theriot have been more valuable to this point and would be suitable replacements if they're available on the wire. Past that, though, the picking gets very slim. You're not going to cope by plugging in Emmanuel Burriss since he's clearly a downgrade in the other categories. Think you can manage without the speed? Then go for Yunel Escobar. He drove in three runs Wednesday and is batting .343 this month.
If Reyes does need extended rest for his calf to properly heal, an estimated timeline would probably be around two to three weeks. That wouldn't be too bad. It's much less of a roster headache to keep Reyes' spot warm for a month than to cringe at his game log, wondering if he'll be able to give you the Jose you've come to expect.
Bits From the Box Scores
• If you thought Jayson Werth's klepto spree earlier this month was something, how about five steals from Mark Reynolds in one day? The feat more than doubled his season total, so this was definitely a bigger shock. Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino has now allowed 22 swipes and only caught six thieves. Someone did their homework. I don't think Reynolds will finish as a 20-20 player, but it's a good reminder to pay close attention to the opposing catcher to take advantage of favorable matchups.
• Pop the corks, David Ortiz's homer-less slump is finally over. Like I said last week, there should be more to come, so buy if someone still wants to get rid of him. I just saw Scott Kazmir dealt straight up for Big Papi in an AL-only league, and I definitely like the Ortiz side better.• Two homers and six more RBI for Justin Upton gives him totals of seven and 18 for the month of May. Believe it or not, he's not too far behind Adam Jones' stat line for the season. I'd rather have Jones, but both were in the underestimated pool.
• Chris Carpenter returned from an oblique injury and pitched five shutout innings in a win over the Cubs. It doesn't look like he'll have much trouble getting back in form, though proceed with caution.
• Bill Hall went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts to drop his average to .248. Casey McGehee is batting .238. Recent call-up and top prospect Mat Gamel has five RBI in six at-bats. It might be time for the Brewers to play Gamel more at third until it potentially becomes a defensive nightmare. Now's a good time to make a speculative pickup in deep leagues if you have a spare bench spot.
• It took Orioles prospect Nolan Reimold six games to hit his first homer in the bigs, off Mariano Rivera no less. Felix Pie also needed six games to hit his first of the season. The comparison stops there; Reimold is much more likely to stick.
• Heath Bell and Jonathan Broxton have a combined 22 saves. Both were likely taken outside off the top 10 closers in many preseason drafts. You should feel very proud about passing on the super-early closer run if you snagged these two.
• Fun with numbers: Josh Anderson has eight steals in less than 80 at-bats. Nick Johnson has 20 RBI in May. Anderson has been a great $1 pick in AL-only leagues and would be mixed-league worthy if Jim Leyland gave him an everyday job. Johnson is worth owning in all formats and I have no clue why he's available in about 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
• Ryan Dempster's ugly overall line is masking a 3.29 May ERA with solid ratios.
• With Omar Infante sidelined with a broken bone in his hand, expect Kelly Johnson to see more consistent playing time at second base. He's been really struggling thus far, but remains a good bet to turn it around.
• Detroit's Ryan Raburn has homered in three straight games with nine RBI. He should be middle-eligible in some leagues so there's AL-only value behind the unlikely streak.
• Kerry Wood picked up his sixth save but now has a 6:6 K-to-BB ratio in May.
Quick Trade Advice: Target these scuffling power hitters: Garrett Atkins, Magglio Ordonez, Adrian Beltre, as well as the injured Rick Ankiel and Pat Burrell (both are due back soon). Since none of these hitters are big names, you could whisk them away for a song and a Scutaro. In general, I find owners are less hesitant to part with smaller commodities, allowing you to pull off a sneaky deal.
Down on the Farm: Giants pitching prospect Tim Alderson struck out six over 6 1/3 innings and has a 18:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio since his promotion to Double-A. Cardinals third base prospect Brett Wallace is batting over .400 since reaching Triple-A. We just might see him at season end. Mets outfield prospect Fernando Martinez is discovering his power stroke; he's up to seven homers for the year in Triple-A.
Friday's Ace in the Hole: Orioles lefty Rich Hill (1-0, 3.18 ERA) gets a road start against the Nationals. Manny Parra (3-4, 4.57 ERA) has walked a fine line in four straight quality starts and faces the Twins next.
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