It was a rough weekend for injuries, with one of the worst for fantasy owners being Rays SP Alex Cobb, who is expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to a strained oblique. Cobb has been terrific so far, posting a 1.89 ERA in three starts. Erik Bedard will take Cobb's rotation slot in Tampa, but only desperate AL-only owners will want to look in his direction. Bedard posted a 4.59 ERA last season with the Astros, with a healthy strikeout rate (138 K in 151 IP).
On to the rest of the news:
Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured thumb. In Zimmerman's absence, Anthony Rendon will move to third base, while Danny Espinosa will play second base. If Espinosa falls on his face like he did last season, Zach Walters (29 HR at Triple A last season) will be on the bench waiting to take over. Walters was called up over the weekend, and is worth a look for NL-only owners.
The Red Sox seem to think that Koji Uehara's shoulder stiffness is a minor issue, and hope that he'll rejoin the team this week in Chicago. Ed Mujica closed out Friday's game in Uehara's stead, and could get more chances this week depending on when Uehara returns. I wouldn't invest too much in Mujica right now. In worse Red Sox news, 2B Dustin Pedroia will have an MRI today on his sore wrist.
Mat Latos' return has been delayed yet again due to a forearm strain. He won't throw for 10-14 days.
As feared, Adrian Beltre has finally landed on the DL with a quad issue. The Rangers tried to wait out the injury, but made the DL move on Sunday; Beltre could return as soon as April 25. Kevin Kouzmanoff - remember him? - figures to get most of the playing time in Beltre's absence. In other Rangers' news, Colby Lewis gets his first start of the season tonight.
Streaming starters: Tyler Skaggs wasn't quite good enough on Friday, Nathan Eovaldi was solid on the K and WHIP fronts on Saturday, and Jose Quintana was strong on Sunday, raising our record to 8-5 for the season. Tonight's pick is Padres' not-so-crafty lefty Eric Stults (owned in 1.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) at home against the Rockies, while Tuesday's selection is Stults' teammate, Robbie Erlin (1 percent owned) against those same Rockies. In PETCO we trust!
Jose Veras has been removed as the Cubs' closer - at least for now - and the team will "see who emerges," according to manager Rick Renteria. Speculating on Pedro Strop seems like the way to go here, though Veras will probably have chances to reclaim his job.
The Jays hope to get SS Jose Reyes (hamstring) back this weekend, while closer Casey Janssen (back) will join Reyes for a Florida rehab assignment this week. Janssen's return date is TBD.
Who had April 12 in the Brett Anderson injury pool? The Rockies' lefty will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured left index finger.
Yankees SS Derek Jeter missed Sunday's game with quad tightness, but hopes to return tomorrow.
The D-backs expect OF Cody Ross (hip) to make his 2014 debut this week.
See you back here tomorrow morning.
