Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Red Sox

After a slow start to the season Jarrod Saltalamacchia is red-hot for the Red Sox.  He is batting .400 this month with a home run, two doubles, and a triple.  His season average is now a respectable .252 with five home runs.  Remember, as bad as he was early in the season, Salty was once a mega prospect who was traded for Mark Teixiera.  He may never reach that potential, but if he can hit .280 with 15 home runs in Boston, the run production will pile up.  My only warning is that his defense is still not very good, so it will remain a platoon with Jason Varitek. 

 

Charlie Blackmon, OF, Rockies

Lost in the rookie rush a few days ago was the call-up of Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon.  A former second round pick out of Georgia Tech, the 24-year old has the highly sought combination of power and speed.  He was hitting .337 in Colorado Springs with 10 home runs and 12 steals.  With Dexter Fowler injured, Blackmon will enjoy a shot at playing everyday.  If he contributes, look for him to become an everyday player, which means tons of fantasy value. 

 

Carlos Carrasco, SP, Indians

Before the season began we asked Jay Levine from LetsgoTribe.com who was the top hurler on the staff and he surprised us with Carlos Carrasco.  At first we questioned his call since Carrasco was just 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA through six starts into the season, but since then, Carrasco has gone 5-1 while lowering his ERA to 4.09.  He has not allowed a run in either of his two starts while fanning season highs six and then seven batters.  What was most impressive about his last win was that it came in Yankee Stadium against the hot-hotting Bombers.  At just 24 years old, Carrasco is a great long-term investment. 

 

Injuries-

Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Nationals

After more than a month on the DL, Ryan Zimmerman will be activated to play tonight.  Zimmerman was batting .357 through eight games when he got hurt.  His presence should help the entire lineup that has struggled to replace their third baseman as well as their injured first baseman Adam LaRoche. 

 

Johan Santana, SP, Mets

The idea was for the Mets to simply be competitive for the next few weeks until David Wright, Ike Davis, and Johan Santana returned.  Well it looks like Johan is not on the path to recovery as fast as we all thought.  He has been dealing with soreness and now at the earliest, the Mets ace will not make it back until August.  By then, a lot of his teammates could be traded. 

 

Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees

What does it mean that Derek Jeter is nearing 3,000 hits.  Sure, he’s an all-time great, but he is also really old at 36-years old.  Well age may have gotten the better of him this week as he strained his calf.  This makes the guessing game even harder to play about when he will hit number 3,000.  My guess is that because of his age the Yankees will be conservative and place him on the DL, though this could end up being just a day-to-day issue.  My guess is that the New York media will keep you updated on his status.