![\"http:\/\/a323.yahoofs.com\/ymg\/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__25\/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-608712682-1270212290.jpg?ymCr36CDJ5WzDJMv\"](\"http:\/\/a323.yahoofs.com\/ymg\/ept_sports_fantasy_experts__25\/ept_sports_fantasy_experts-608712682-1270212290.jpg?ymCr36CDJ5WzDJMv\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Special programming note: Please join us on Monday for an opening day live chat, beginning at noon CT. Here’s the schedule<\/a><\/strong>. Pick a favorite; share your thoughts with the class. No one leaves the live chat until all the afternoon games are finished. <\/em><\/p>\n •<\/strong> As expected, Ian Kinsler’s<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> high ankle sprain will force him to begin the season on the disabled list. Texas general manager Jon Daniels confirmed the plan on Thursday<\/a>: <\/p>\n "We haven’t made the roster move yet Kinsler’s recovery timetable isn’t perfectly clear. According to the team’s Website, he isn’t running yet, nor is he doing agility drills. Andres Blanco<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> a non-factor in fantasy, is expected to play second base for the Rangers in Kinsler’s absence.<\/p>\n In other Texas news, the team claimed Ryan Garko<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> off waivers from Seattle. He’s not someone you need to own except in the ugliest formats, of course, but it’s worth noting that the right-handed hitting Garko will likely take a few at-bats from the left-handed hitting Chris Davis<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> – and Davis owners shouldn’t really mind. Those were going to be terrible at-bats. Davis has posted a .226\/.271\/.428 line against LHPs over two seasons. <\/a><\/p>\n •<\/strong> Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> left the team after learning that a family member (believed to be his brother) was involved in a serious car accident. It’s clearly too soon to speculate on K-Rod’s status for opening day, even if his general manager believes he’ll be available<\/a>. Here’s hoping the family gets some good news. The Mets are still settling their bullpen hierarchy – only 20-year-old Jenrry Mejia<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and lefty Pedro Feliciano<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> have impressed this spring. Feliciano may have the primary setup role<\/a> entering the season. Stay tuned. <\/p>\n •<\/strong> Blake DeWitt’s<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> excellent spring (.339\/.435\/.532) gave him a clear edge over Ronnie Belliard<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> in the battle for the Dodgers’ second base gig. On Thursday, Joe Torre confirmed that DeWitt had won the job (though not before pulling a semi-cruel April Fool’s joke<\/a>). DeWitt is only qualified at third base for fantasy purposes at the moment, based on last year’s playing time. But he should be 2B-eligible in a week or so. DeWitt should be rostered in NL-only, though the power\/speed combo is modest. <\/p>\n •<\/strong> As long as he’s in the player pool, I will be vulnerable to BJ Upton<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> propaganda. So when the Tampa Tribune delivers a headline like, "Rays Upton might be back to his old self,"<\/a> I’m going to read it and link it. Here’s a sample:<\/p>\n Upton said his batting woes can be traced to a physical problem – he was still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery – that eventually affected his confidence.<\/p>\n […]<\/p>\n "B.J. is definitely on a mission," Rays third baseman Evan Longoria<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. "He has worked hard. Hopefully, it transfers into the season."<\/p>\n "B.J. looks awesome right now," Rays left fielder Carl Crawford<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. "I think he’s determined to get back to being his old self."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Upton is hitting .305 this spring and slugging .576. He’s swiped 40-plus bases in each of the last two seasons, but he hasn’t been a power asset since 2007. He’s clearly no longer the Alpha Upton, but at age 25, we’re still allowed to discuss potential.<\/p>\n •<\/strong> Philadelphia’s Joe Blanton<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> will open the season on the DL due to a "mild oblique strain."<\/a> The injury will require 3-6 weeks to heal, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Kyle Kendrick<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> is expected to take Blanton’s spot in the rotation, which will of course creates additional problems in a bullpen that’s already heavily damaged. <\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Photo via US Presswire <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Special programming note: Please join us on Monday for an opening day live chat, beginning at noon CT. Here’s the schedule. Pick a favorite; share your thoughts with the class. No one leaves the live chat until all the afternoon games are finished. • As expected, Ian Kinsler’s(notes) high ankle sprain will force him to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5466,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-504814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5466"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504814\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
so please blame the Texas Rangers<\/a> for any fantasy inconvenience, not the bloggers at Yahoo! Sports<\/strike>, but the plan is for him to open on the DL," Daniels said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n