M's call up Balentien, Clement

A plethora of news and notes as April turns into May.

Wladimir Balentien: The Mariners called up Balentien, who was off limits in offseason trade talks, and he delivered in his debut, smaking a 3-run HR off the immortal Cliff Lee who is pitching like Lee Smith in his prime. Lee's scoreless inning streak ended at 27 IP as Balentien took him deep, opposite field. Lee's ERA almost quadrupled from 0.28 to 0.96. Still, all Tribe fans are giddy.
Fantasy spin: For those of you still holding onto Brad Wilkerson (and I hope it was only folks in leagues with 18-20 teams), you can safely drop the former Gator. As for Balentien, who has 25-HR potential and might steal you a dozen bags, he's a must-add in all AL-only or shallow leagues, but borderline in deeper leagues as his swing does have holes and will be a drag on your average. Seattle made this decision after he hit 3 jacks on Monday, including one inside-the-parker.

Jeff Clement: The M's also called up their hot-shot catcher who will get time behind the plate and at DH. Clement was white hot in AAA Tacoma, hitting .384 with 5 HR, 7 doubles and 19 RBI in 22 games.
Fantasy spin: continues to struggle, he may simply take over the starting catching job. Look for Clement to smack 20 HR this year and he won't hurt you with his average. He'll likely be a top-5 catcher on Like Balentien a must-add in all AL and shallow formats. Also, a good add for Kenji Johjima owners with bench spots as Clement will eat into his time some and if Johjimaeveryone's list at next year's draft, although he currently only has UTIL eligibility in Yahoo (but will get the coveted C eligibility within a couple weeks).

Alex Rodriguez: The Yankees 3B has a grade 2 strain in his quad, which is middle of the road for those who forgot your quad strain cheat sheet this morning. He'll be shelved for 15 days at least. Yanks not going to rush him back.
Fantasy spin: So much for the No. 1 overall pick. But as an owner, you'd much rather A-Rod get it right. Don't sell low. He'll come back strong. Streaky hitter Morgan Ensberg will take over the hot corner for now.

John Smoltz: Saw the dreaded Dr. James Andrews (you never want to read about Andrews with any of your players) and the diagnosis is very wordy: "A severely inflamed biceps tendon and inflammation of the rotator cuff in the right shoulder." Translated, it likely means Smoltz will finish the season in the bullpen although there are internal discussions going on, possibly as we speak, although I doubt it, as to how they will use him.
Fantasy spin: Smoltz says he's fine taking over the closer's job, and he thinks it'll be the best way to stay healthy. The good news for fantasy owners is surgery is not an option at this point but you may be starter low and a reliever heavy when he returns. Start thinking that way in upcoming trade talks and wire transactions.

Chicago Cubs: The win was actually blowing in, yet the Cubs still cranked out 19 runs, including 2 HR and 6 RBI and now has 5 dingers and 20 rib-eyes for the season. Not trying to jinx the team, but it is notable that 17 wins in April is the most EVER for a Cubs team. Just saying.

Jimmy Rollins: The Phillies SS still feels discomfort and it's not looking promising that he'll come off the DL on Monday when he's eligible.
Fantasy spin: If you can get 3rd or 4th round value for Rollins, you might wanna pull the trigger. But don't sell too low. Philly says they won't bring Rollins back until he's healthy, which implies he'll be stealing again.

Josh Hamilton: The Rangers CF hit a grand salami off upstart Royals pitcher Brian Bannister and now has 30 RBI, leading the world.
Fantasy spin: Hard to sell high on this guy, but Hamilton's never made it through a full MLB season, whether it's been drug or injury related. Unless you can get 3rd round value, I'd ride the Josh train as long as it goes.

Troy Tulowitzki: Rockies SS has a torn tendon in his left quad and could be out til the All-Star break, maybe longer. The injury is rare but actually quite popular with soccer players, which is little consolation for owners who took Tulo with their fifth-round pick.
Fantasy spin: Clint Barmes (2 HR, 9 RBI, .292 in 65 at-bats) will take over and is a decent add in NL and deep mixed leagues.

Alfonso Soriano: Activated from the DL today and says the calf he injured from hop-scotching before a catch is "100 percent" healed. Soriano also said he'll steal 30 bases the rest of the season.
Fantasy spin: Soriano grounded out in his first at-bat today, but I would personally take the under on 30 steals. But a healthy Soriano could park 30 into the seats from here on out.

B.J. Upton: This just in....Tampa's CF injured his left arm and/or shoulder in today's game while swinging in the top of the fifth and walked off the field with trainers. The Rays are calling it a shoulder strain and consider him day-to-day, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
Fantasy spin: Upton had a simliar incident in 2006 and only missed three games. But for all you AL streamers out there looking for cheap speed, Nathan Haynes would be the beneficiary as it's hard to say yet how long Upton will be out.

Phillip Hughes: Originally put on the shelf with a right oblique strain, it's now being reported that Hughes has a broken rib and will be out til July, according to AP. Hughes has been bothered with the injury, but only told trainers Tuesday because he finally thought it was a factor with his performance. And all remaining Hughes curse under their breathe after suffering through six starts with a 9.00 ERA and 2.14 WHIP.
Fantasy spin: Darrell Rasner (4-0, 0.87 ERA in 5 AAA starts) will be called up from Scranton/Wilkes Barre to start Sunday against Seattle and makes for a nice add in AL-only formats. But with Ian Kennedy also struggling and the Yanks scuffling, odds of Joba Chamberlain joining the rotation only go up.