Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.You hear that, fantasy baseball owners? Josh Hamilton's sole purpose on this Earth is to mess with you. Really, there's no way to over-dramatize the crap he's put fantasy owners through. Initially, he would have been the crown jewel in a dynasty league with minor-leaguers. When those types finally gave up on him, he made the show for the Reds. Then, he started to catch on for the Reds, but couldn't stay healthy. So he goes to the Rangers and puts himself on a record RBI pace, only to significantly slow down in the second half. In 2009, the bona fide elite-level fantasy outfielder has only played 35 games. He's only hitting .240. And he's out until mid-July.
Like we said, he just hates fantasy sports. He's like the much more inspirational and likable version of Mike Shanahan.
In all seriousness, I like Josh Hamilton. Everyone should. The stories of his comeback from nearly burying himself have been spread throughout the nation like wildfire -- especially in the aftermath of stealing the show in last season's feel-good Home Run Derby (even though he didn't even technically win). His most recent injury occurred when he made a spectacular catch in the right-center field gap -- crashing into the wall. Basically, he put his body on the line for his team. He always does. There's no way to complain about that.
Hamilton will undergo surgery in the Philly area. The same doctor who helped Donovan McNabb and Trot Nixon back to health (among others) will do the work. Hamilton expects to only miss four weeks, five at the absolute max, but most estimations have him out for six.
Hopefully you can plug the hole until he comes back, but you should not be dropping him in any league. He's liable to get hot again if you do. Remember, he's a fickle character -- so much so that you might feel he hates you.
Bits From the Box Scores
- Adam Lind. Adam freaking Lind. How do we love thee? Lemme count the ways. 1. That .313 average; 2. A near-30-homer pace; 3. A 116-RBI-pace; 4. he's showing no signs of slowing down; 5. He's still only 25; 6. A near-100 run pace; 7. He's even stolen a base! Oh, I'm sure there are more, but Lind is quickly becoming one of my biggest man-crushes this summer.
- Not sure about Jeremy Bonderman for the short-term. He's still only 26 and shouldn't be given up on for the long term, but he shouldn't be used for a little bit here. His velocity is down, seemingly permanently, which means he'll have reinvent himself as a pitcher. The showing we saw Monday was not a step in the right direction: 4 innings, 8 hits, 6 earned runs, 3 walks and only 1 strikeout. That's just ugly.
- Jason Marquis leads the NL in victories with 8. No, no, stop laughing. That's not a joke. Actually, I think it might be -- a cruel one. Regardless, we know that's not going to last long, so deal him soon if you happen to own him.
- The rise of Alexei Ramirez from the depths of unusable continues. In a double-header Monday, the Cuban Missile went 5-for-9 with a home run and 3 runs scored. He's hitting .342 in his last 18 games.
- The following players on the Yankees are on pace for at least 20 home runs this season: Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. Even Melky Cabrera is right on the cusp of that group. Tex is on a pace for 50-plus, while Damon and Swisher are on a 30-plus pace. The Yankees are the new Rockies -- to a much larger extent. Fantasy goodness galore. At this point don't sell any of them. Just enjoy the ride.
- Love that Andrew McCutchen. He's 10-for-25 (.400) thus far in his major league career. He's scored 5 times and driven 5 runners home in just five games -- with 2 triples and a steal to boot. Looks like the Pirates' decision to trade Nate McLouth wasn't that awful after all, huh, overreacting Pirates fans?
- Sean West is only 1-1, but he's sporting a sparkling 2.22 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 24 1/3 innings. Is he for real? Well, he had a 2.41 ERA in 21 minor league outings last season, but that was in high-A ball. This year in double-A his ERA was 4.89 in 8 starts. He's looking like a sell-high, though the long-term ceiling is high for the 6-foot-8 Texan.
- Adam Kennedy is now hitting just .204 in his last 14 games.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff owners are probably clinging to anything they can at this point. Well, here's something. He's 3-for-9 with a home run and 5 RBI in the past two games. Take from that what you will, but I'm still not buying into him.
The Afflicted: Brandon McCarthy is gonna miss a bit of time with a stress fracture. The immediate future sees no real fantasy impact, but look for the Rangers to upgrade their rotation as they go for the AL West title this year. Carlos Quentin still isn't ready to be activated off the disabled list. Jacoby Ellsbury has no structural damage in his tweaked shoulder, so he'll likely return to the lineup mid-week. Justin Upton should be back tonight.
Lineup Lock Time: Kick those feet up ... we're free until 7:05 PM ET.
