Roto Roundup: Phil Hughes is Back, and So Is Mike Trout

Those of you in keeper leagues should know that Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman is considering retiring after this season. I find it hard to believe that he will retire after the season he has had. He will be a free agent and could land a multi-year deal with an AL team looking for a DH.

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro went 2-5 with a run scored and a SB, and is hitting .309-.335-.432 with 7 HRs, 56 RBI, 71 runs and 14 SBs in 21 attempts. He has an 80-25 K/BB rate in 525 at bats this season, and is projected to go 9-73-912-18 in his first full season in the big leagues. I think there could be more power in his bat and speed on the basepaths in the future, and have to say, at this point, he is a better fantasy shortstop than I gave him credit for.

Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta went 2-3 with a HR and an RBI last night, and for the season, he is hitting .314-.358-.514 with 18 HRs, 65 RBI and 53 runs scored. Peralta is enjoying another fine season at the plate, and is on pace to hit 20+ HRs for the 4th time in his career, which is pretty darn good for a shortstop.

Rays outfielder Desmond Jennings is starting to make a name for himself in Tampa. He didn't get a hit last night, going 0-3 with a walk, but he did make his presence known on the basepaths by stealing a base. Since his call up, Jennings is hitting .310-.394-.594 with 5 HRs, 14 RBI, 15 runs and 10 SBs in just 95 at bats. Really quite amazing when you think about it.

More Roundup after the jump:

Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez dominated the Giants on Friday night, limiting them to just 5 hits in 8 shut out innings. He walked 2 and struck out 8 to win his 9th game of the season. His ERA dropped to 3.31 with a 1.27 WHIP and a 125-49 K/BB rate in 147 innings.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips has seen his power and speed drop in each of the last 4 seasons. Last night, he went 3-5 with a HR and 4 RBI and is hitting .289-.336-.426 with 12 HRs, 68 RBI and just 7 SBs in 15 attempts this season. Gone are the days of 20-20 seasons from Phillips, but he still provides decent power and BA for fantasy owners.

Yankees starter Phil Hughes turned in his best start of the season in Minnesota last night, holding the Twins to just one run on 2 hits in 7.2 innings. He has given up 2 runs or less in his last 4 starts, and 6 of his last 7. Hughes is probably rosterable at this point, as he is pitching well right now, and has an excellent lineup behind him.

Hughes teammate Alex Rodriguez will not be activated off the DL tomorrow, and may have to wait till Tuesday to be activated. I am sure the Yankees are taking their time since they are in first place at the moment.

The Angels recalled AA outfielder Mike Trout yesterday and he went 0-3 with a strikeout before I signed off for the night. He has struggled in his limited time in the majors, but that was not unexpected. He is still one of the top prospects in baseball. In AA this season, Trout hit 326-.414-.544 with 11 HRs, 38 RBI, 82 runs, 33 SBs and a 76-45 K/BB rate in 353 at bats. All as a 19 year old in AA.

Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda was one of the better starting pitchers available at the trade deadline, and some experts felt he was nothing more than a 3 or 4 starter, but he has been much better than that this season. Kuroda held the Rockies to 2 runs on 4 hits, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts in his 6 innings of work. For the season, he is 9-14 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 126-43 K/BB rate in 159.1 innings.