Fantasy Baseball Tonight 7/2

He's BAAAAAACK.....tomorrow. Manny Ramirez will return from his 50 game suspension on Friday and all of you who were patient over the past six weeks, get the man back in your lineup on Friday. I believe that Manny will come back into the lineup and hit right away. Unfortunately for you Juan Pierre owners, he is scheduled to go right back to the bench. He might play twice a week, but his fantasy value goes straight into the toilet.

Francisco Rodriguez allowed a run for the second time in three starts, and as the rest of the Mets are struggling, it appears that K-Rod is a bit himself. His save chances will likely be limited as long as the Mets are without Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Jose Reyes, but he is generally a shut down closer and should convert most of his opportunities. He obviously won't get near the 62 saves he had in 2008, but over 40 is definitely within his range. Unless you can get another elite closer and another advantage, I wouldn't think of dealing away Rodriguez.

Garrett Jones was called up by the Pirates and wasted no time making an impact as he was just the single short of the cycle. Jones has been toiling in the minor leagues for a decade, so it isn't like he is the hot new prospect. You won't find him in any of the Baseball America prospect rankings that you often hear me quote. However, the guy has some power. He topped 30 home runs one season, and was over 20 in three other years. He does have a bit of a problem with Ks and his batting average isn't exactly something to write home about, but if you are in need of some power, he has a chance of bringing it to you.

Mets' prospect Nick Evans has been making an impact for the offense starved Mets in the short period of time he has been with the team. He has a hit in every game he has started, including a home run (of course at the game I attended!) and four RBI in seven games. Evans had another two hits and RBI on Thursday and I would be willing to bet that he is in the lineup as long as he is hitting given the state of the Mets' lineup. He has had a few above average seasons in the minors, but nothing that screams "top prospect". He was ranked as the ninth best prospect in the Mets' organization by Baseball America, but given the recent trades for Johan Santana and J.J. Putz, the farm system in Flushing has been depleted. You can grab him while he is hot, but just don't expect this to be a full season kind of thing.

Chad Qualls blew his fourth save chance of the season, and I am starting to have big time questions about his ability to hold this job. He hasn't saved a game since June 11th, but that is more of a product of the D'Backs being a bad team more than Qualls failings as a closer. But 13 saves and four blown doesn't instill a lot of confidence. Put that together with an ERA of 4.22 and you have yourself a guy looking to be replaced. I don't know if it will be Jon Rauch or Tony Pena who will eventually take over for him. Rauch has closing experience in Washington, while Pena has some pretty good stuff. Hold Qualls until it is official that he has lost the job, but don't be surprised if you hear that news the next time he blows a save chance.

Doug Davis has allowed one run or less in his last three starts, and despite Arizona's inability to win games, he is becoming a pitcher that you can own at the end of your rotation. Davis is pitching to a 3.15 ERA on the season, which is great, but his 3-8 record will scare most people away. His WHIP isn't great at over 1.35, but he has 78 strikeouts in 105 innings which is pretty decent. I'm not adding him in any league, but if you are looking for a decent pitcher to help you during a tough stretch of injuries or ineffectiveness, give Davis a look.

Kevin Correia got tattooed on Thursday, and although he had a very hot June, he is not a guy that I would trust going forward. Correia spent much of his career as a reliever, and the time that he did start he was not even close to being effective. Last season he made 19 starts for the Giants and his ERA for the year was over six. Don't trust him do have a July anywhere near to the caliber of the June that he had.

Ryan Ludwick is starting to show some signs of life. He had five homers in the first three weeks of the season, and eight on May 12th when he went out with an injury. When he returned from injury, Ludwick was a shell of the player who started 2009 on that hot streak and his average dipped 50 points from his pre-injury form. Within the last week or so however, Ludwick has started to hit again. With his two hits on Thursday, he now has seven in the last five days, and has three RBI in the last two days. I'm not quite saying that he is back yet, but the signs are certainly pointing in the right direction for the first time in a while.

J.A. Happ had his third straight quality start, and is looking more and more like a pitcher that you can afford to have on your roster. Happ allowed just two runs over seven innings, struck out five, and his ERA for the season is now under three. Happ is just what the doctor ordered for the pitching starved Phillies, and he is nearly single handedly keeping them ahead in the NL East. If Happ is available and you are in any need of pitching I would certainly consider adding him.

John Lackey pitched a hell of a game and now has two straight good starts as he tries to get back on track from his season opening injury. I have long thought that Lackey is one of the more underrated pitchers in all of baseball, but undoubtedly has struggled with injury concerns over the past two seasons. Lackey hadn't been the pitcher we have become accustomed to over the years when he came back, but I believe this recent streak is a sign of things to come. It might be too late to buy low on Lackey, but it doesn't hurt to try to see if his owner is still a little skeptical on his future.