Tulowitzki DL'd; Damon on the fence

News and notes around the fantasy globe...

Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies: One of the big disappointments so far, Tulo is back on the DL, slamming a bat into the ground after he was taken out of Friday night's improbably 18-17 Rockies' come-from-behind win over the Marlins.

The bat splintered off and sliced his palm, requiring stitches. Tulo (hitting .166 with 3 HR and 17 RBI) spent two months on the DL earlier this year with a left quad strain. For those of you who snatched him up in the 4th round, this can't feel good.

But if anyone is going to get injured, now's the perfect time, nine days before the All-Star break, which means he'll only miss 12 games, instead of 15. Still, if there's still a J.J. Hardy or Christian Guzman on your wire, it's probably time to cut your losses.


Johnny Damon, OF, Yankees: In one of the most bizarre plays since the advent of instant replay, Damon's smash into the wall, bouncing the ball out of his glove and onto the top of the fence three times. Kevin Youkilis ends up with a triple instead of a HR. Youkilis owners are ticked, even though Youks has played way over his head this year. And Damon leaves with an injured shoulder.

Here's the play, in case you missed it:



Damon has never spent time on the DL in his 14 seasons, but with a sprained and bruised shoulder, leading to pain pills Friday night, you have to wonder if Damon won't get 15 days off.

Either way, he'll miss some time, which is bad news for owners who have been riding a surprising .319 average, not to mention moderate power numbers (6 HR, 37 RBI) and 13 swipes.

Sounds like a decision will be made soon, but start thinking Plan B, as the Yanks appear to be leaning toward shelving Damon, as they can't afford to go short-handed.

Brett Gardner is Damon's replacement in left field and is the hot pickup in AL-only leagues with little bang in his bat, but 35-SB upside. Gardner batted leadoff today.


BOBBY JENKS, RP, WHITE SOX: He's not been available since Tuesday after developing a twinge in the left side of his back. Gotta hate the twinge. But it's usually slightly better than a tweak.

Chicago is saying all the right things, that Jenks is recovering well and he might be available before Monday's off day. Still, with the All-Star break a stone's throw away, if Jenks can't return by Tuesday, the ChiSox won't mess around.

But as of presstime, and barring a setback, Jenks should be back on the bump soon. Keep setup guru Scott Linebrink on speed dial, just in case.