In news that should surprise nobody, Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki has landed on the DL again, this time with a hip flexor strain. The team's trainer won't guarantee that Tulowitzki will be back after his 15 days are up, but let's keep our fingers crossed.
What's a Tulo fantasy owner to do? The easy option is to grab Josh Rutledge, who will be the primary replacement in Colorado. Rutledge is batting .298 with three home runs in 121 at bats this season, and had 11 homers with 13 steals between the minors and majors in 2013. Rutledge is owned in 0.7 percent of FOXSports.com leagues, and while he's not perfect, he's better than most available options, especially with the Rockies at home this week.
Other free-agent shortstop possibilities include Alcides Escobar (42.6 percent owned), Derek Jeter (27.3 percent owned) and Stephen Drew (1.7 percent owned). Drew hit home runs on Monday and Tuesday, so maybe his bat is finally coming around.
Tuesday's studs & duds
Stud: A few guys hit two homers, but Royals 3B Mike Moustakas gets the nod for adding three RBI, two runs and an extra hit.
Stud: Cubs' rookie Kyle Hendricks was our streaming starter recommendation, and he didn't disappoint, throwing seven scoreless innings against the Padres while striking out five and picking up the win. The Padres couldn't hit before they traded Chase Headley, so they're now an even better target for streaming pitchers.
Dud: Adam Wainwright piped way too many pitches to the Rays, allowing four runs and 10 baserunners in four-and-two-thirds innings.
News & notes
Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez were both out of the lineup again on Tuesday, and the Dodgers haven't tipped their hand about the duo's availability for tonight's game. They are thinking about moving Puig to center field, though.
Uh-oh: Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman left Tuesday's game with a hamstring injury, and will have an MRI today. Zimmerman wasn't limping too badly as he left the field, but that doesn't mean he'll avoid the DL. Stay tuned.
Orioles 3B Manny Machado was scratched Tuesday with lower back tightness, and is day to day.
Don't worry about Jose Abreu's absence from the White Sox lineup on Tuesday. He just got a night off, and should play today.
The Cubs DFA'd Darwin Barney on Tuesday, so the path is clear for Arismendy Alcantara to play every day. Alcantara (5.7 percent owned) is batting .305 with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases between the minors and majors this season, and is worthy of a free-agent pickup in all formats, especially if you need speed.
Astros OF George Springer (knee, quad) was out of the lineup again on Tuesday, and the team is hoping he can avoid a DL stint.
Look for Rangers OF Alex Rios (ankle) to return to the lineup today.
It's nice that the Blue Jays called up top pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez, but he had a 3.95 ERA in the minors this season with 57 walks in 100 1/3 innings, and will pitch out of the bullpen. He'll be useless in all fantasy formats outside of your 27-team Canadian AL-only league.
Brewers 2B Scooter Gennett left Tuesday's game with quad tightness, and isn't expected to play today.
Streaming starters
We already mentioned Kyle Hendricks' fantasy heroics, but Jon Niese struggled on Monday, so we're 58-42 for the season. Today's pick is Mike Leake (29.6 percent owned) at Milwaukee, and Thursday's selection is my new best pal Marcus Stroman (12.3 percent owned) versus the Red Sox. Stroman has a 2.50 ERA with 48 strikeouts against 12 walks in 54 innings over nine starts. He's the real deal.
See you back here tomorrow morning.
