Remember that talk about Tony Womack or Ryan Freel moving to the outfield to fill Wily Mo Pena's absence in Cincinnati? It's not happening. (One of our alert readers pointed this out in the comments to the first post, too.) Instead, Adam Dunn, who was penciled in at first base when Sean Casey was traded, will return to the outfield, with Scott Hatteberg being dubbed the new starter at first base.
While I'm disappointed as a roto player (more time for Womack and Freel equals more stolen bases to go around), I can't say I disagree from a managerial standpoint. For one, it improves the defense . . .
. . . and second, the Reds could certainly use a player with Hatteberg's approach at the plate. The Reds are largely a team of strike-prone sluggers, and Hatteberg's contact-hitting approach will likely end up making him more valuable than his career .268 batting average might suggest.
Hatteberg's fantasy value will be pretty limited -- he's rarely hit for a decent average, he lacks home run power (even in Cinci's home park) and, as the likely No. 7 hitter, he's hitting too low in the order to drive in many runs.