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Blue Jays catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud got some bad news on Tuesday, as he was diagnosed with a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee and will be out at least six weeks, so he will miss the AAA All-star game and the MLB Futures game in July. If all goes well, he returns in early August, so there is a slight chance he could be a September call up. d'Arnaud was having a solid season in AAA, hitting .333 with 16 HRs and 52 RBI.
Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is scheduled to start a rehab assignment on Thursday and will more than likely spend 3 weeks in the minors before returning to the Phillies lineup after the All Star break. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for his power to return.
Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury will start his rehab assignment on Friday and will need at least a week of games before returning to the Red Sox lineup. I would wait to activate him in weekly leagues until we know he is being activated.
Diamondbacks starter Daniel Hudson is strugglng in his second full season in the majors, and he was pounded for 5 runs on 7 hits in 1.2 innings last night, and had to be pulled from the game in the second inning with forearm tightness. For the season, he is 3-2 with a 7.35 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and a 37-12 strikeout to walk ratio in 45.1 innings this season. Should he miss some time to the DL, I could see the Diamondbacks calling up Tyler Skaggs to replace him in the rotation with Trevor Bauer replacing Joe Saunders earlier this week. Here is a tweet from DBacks beat reporter Nick Piecoro regarding Hudson's injury:
Nick Piecoro @nickpiecoro
Hudson said there was no "pop" in his elbow. Braves pitcher Brandon Beachy felt no pop earlier this month. He had Tommy John last week.
Reports later in the evening last night, had Hudson admitting his elbow has been bothering him for awhile now. Triple A starter Patrick Corbin was scratched from his start last night, so it appears he will be the pitcher to replace Hudson once he lands on the DL.
More Roto Roundup after the jump:
Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is a lock to make the Hall of Fame when he retires after his 10 year contract expires in 2021, and he had a very slow start to the 2012 season, but he is starting to turn his season around. Pujols went 2-5 with a HR and 2 RBI and is now hitting .261-.320-.449 with 12 HRs, 35 runs and 46 RBI. After hitting .217-.265-.304 in April, .265-.309-.491 in May, he is hitting .303-.387-.513 in June with 3 HRs and 16 RBI. Right now, he is on pace to hit just 26 HRs and drive in 101 runs, well below his career average.
Indians catcher Carlos Santana continues to struggle at the plate this season. A top 3 fantasy catcher coming into the season, Santana went 0-4 last night and is now hitting a woeful .223-.341-.341 with 5 HRs and 29 RBI, a year after hitting .239-.351-.457 with 27 HRs and 79 RBI. I thought he could approach 30 home runs this season, but that is a reach at this point, as he would have to average 8 home runs in each of the next 3 months of the season to reach 30. A reader recently asked me on Twitter if he should drop Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario for him and I responded that Rosario is hitting better and has more HRs this season. Would you drop Rosario to grab Santana right now?
Can someone test Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, please? What got into him this season? Ruiz went 3-4 with a HR, 2 runs an 2 RBI last night, and if he isn't the NL All Star catcher, baseball fans made a mistake (although Yadier Molina is another solid choice). Ruiz is hitting a career high .361-.427-.579 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 41 RBI thus far and is on pace to crush his career highs in doubles, home runs, runs and RBI.
Speaking of Yadier Molina, he is having a better season this season than last year. Molina went 1-4 with a HR and 3 RBI last night, and is now hitting .317-.369-.520 with 12 HRs, 33 runs, 44 RBI, 7 stolen bases and an excellent 26-19 strikeout to walk ratio. Wow. I did not realize he has stolen 7 bases this season. He is on pace to hit 26 home runs, drive in 95 and steal 15 bases this season. Catchers aren't supposed to hit this well,or steal bases, but Yadi is getting better and better as he ages.
In his first big league game of the 2012 season, Cubs first base prospect Anthony Rizzo went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. Fantasy owners are hoping he can improve upon his horrific cup of coffee last season in San Diego, which saw him hit .141-.281-.242 with a HR and 9 RBI. Reports say he has improved the holes in his swing, but he will have to prove the improved swing will result in better production at the big league level now. Moving out of Petco Park and into Wrigley Field should help.