AL FAAB Factor: Sneaky Keeper Pickup

STARTING PITCHERS

Zach Stewart, SP, CHW - The White Sox made a surprise decision to call up Stewart and give him the start Saturday. They obtained Stewart through the trades that eventually sent Edwin Jackson to the Cardinals and Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays. He pitched 6.1 innings of one-run ball Saturday to earn the first win of his big league career. Because Stewart pitched well Saturday, the Sox are going to let him stick around in a six-man rotation for the time being. That situation hurts the general value of the White Sox's starters, but it makes Stewart a viable option going forward in AL-only leagues. As far as mixed leagues go, I'm not biting on this kid in anything but the deepest of mixed formats. He pitches to contact, limiting the number of strikeouts he gets, and that can be disastrous with a home park like U.S. Cellular Field. Stewart did most of his work at Double-A this season, where he posted a 4.20 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 74:27 K:BB ratio through 94.1 innings. Mixed: $0; AL: $2.

Blake Beavan, SP, SEA - Leave it to Beavan to prove me wrong. I was harsh on this kid in my initial write-up earlier this season, but he's done so darn good that I figured it was my duty to raise the roof for him a little bit. Not since Jered Weaver did it in 2006 had a rookie began his career with six straight quality starts, and now Beavan can be added to that list. I don't mean to imply that Beavan is anywhere near the pitcher Weaver is, but what he's done has raised my bushy eyebrows. Through his first six starts, he's posted a 3-2 record with a 2.83 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 17:6 BB:K ratio. You'll notice he's struck out just 17 batters through 41 innings. That's where he's limited as a pitcher in fantasy, and that's why, as easy as he is to justify buying right now, he'll be easy to justify dropping if he has a bad start. Mixed: $1; AL: $4.

RELIEF PITCHERS

Jon Rauch, RP, TOR - Rauch has seemingly laid claim to the closer role in Canada. Grab him if you need saves, but don't be surprised if another blown save makes him lose his job. They have a short leash up in Toronto, and Frank Francisco continues to loom in the background should Rauch falter. Mixed: $5; AL: $9.

Chris Sale, RP, CHW - Sale was given the save opportunity Friday despite Sergio Santos being rested and available. Manager Ozzie Guillen has looked to Sale, Matt Thornton, and his anointed closer, Santos, recently. As things stand, they have a committee of closers in the land of the bleached Sox. Sale is theoretically worth a little bit more with the potential of getting saves down the line, but Santos remains the favorite to get the bulk of the opportunities to close out games. Where his true value comes into play is keeper leagues. The White Sox remain committed to converting him into a starter going into next season, so that gives him a particular bit of hidden value in keeper leagues should that conversion go down successfully. If you're out of the running, it might be smart to add him with eyes toward next season. Mixed: $0; AL: $1.

CATCHERS

Manuel Pina, C, KC - Pina was called up to make his major league debut and fill in for Matt Treanor (head) for a few days. The Royals gave him three consecutive starts behind the plate, but his career .242 minor league average doesn't portend a great major league career. Treanor isn't expected to miss a lot of time, so Pina's time in the majors may be short. Mixed: $0; AL: $0.

Robinson Chirinos, C, TB - Chirinos has been getting playing time lately and taking advantage of it. He's started each of the Rays' last four games, and he's went 7-for-11 in those games. Through 40 at-bats with the Rays this season, he's hit .300 with a home run, seven RBI, and five walks. Regardless of the fact that he's done it in limited action, Chirinos has been the most impressive catcher at plate for the Rays this season. If he continues to hit well, we could see the Rays ride him out the rest of the season. Chirinos is absolutely worth taking a flier on in AL-only leagues right now. Mixed: $0; AL: $3.

CORNER INFIELDERS

Brett Lawrie, 3B/2B, TOR - I'm a little sad he earned his callup Thursday, because now I probably won't have any reason to write about him anymore this season. Guess I'll have to bust out my old set of acrylic paints and start doing some impressionist paintings that express how much I appreciate his work at the plate. Through 292 at-bats at Triple-A Las Vegas this season, Lawrie hit .353 with 18 home runs, 61 RBI, 64 runs scores, and 13 steals. He'll be starting at third for the Jays the rest of the season. Lawrie's callup has pushed Jose Bautista back into right field. Plenty of owners picked up Lawrie when his callup was rumored earlier this season, meaning he may have been stashed on many of rosters for the past few months. Lawrie, Jason Kipnis, and Dustin Ackley are three potential superstar infielders that have been called up by their respective clubs this season. It'll be interesting to see who produces the best down the stretch. Bid high on Lawrie, or you won't stand a chance of getting him. Mixed: $28; AL: $35.

Cliff Pennington/Adam Rosales, SS, OAK - Rosales was recalled from Triple-A earlier this week to fill in at shortstop for Pennington (Bell's Palsy), but Pennington has since returned to the starting lineup and seems to have the condition under control now. Injury Update.

MIDDLE INFIELDERS

Johnny Giavotella, 2B, KC - Giavotella made his major league debut Friday in the Royals' loss to the Tigers. He went 2-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, and a steal in the game. The Royals gave him a second straight start Saturday, leaving Chris Getz on the bench again. Getz, despite having a decent season for the Royals, will likely be relegated to a bench role for the rest of the season. Giavotella is just the latest of the Royals' promising prospects to get called up this season. Through 453 at-bats at Triple-A Omaha this season, Giavotella hit .338 with nine home runs, 72 RBI, 67 runs scored, nine steals, and a level 40:57 BB:K ratio. Though his home run and steal numbers aren't gaudy, his strong plate discipline makes him an intriguing option at second base. AL-only players will want to make sure he's added, since he'll be playing pretty much everyday. Standard mixed league players should just add him to their watch lists for now. Mixed: $0; AL: $4.

Jason Donald, 3B,SS/2B, CLE - Donald was recalled from Triple-A last weekend. He'll serve in a utility role for the Indians backing up third base, second base, and shortstop. They'll probably give him three or four starts per week going forward. Donald hit .310 with four home runs, 32 runs scored, and seven steals in 174 at-bats at Triple-A Columbus this season. He's been limited by injuries the majority of the year. Mixed: $0; AL: $1.

Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS - Lowrie (shoulder) is expected to return from the DL Monday. The Red Sox plan on mixing and matching Marco Scutaro and Lowrie at shortstop. This will limit both players' value. Lowrie got off to a hot start this season, but injuries, and maybe just the reality that he's not all that great, circled around and bit him in the behind. Some people will make a speculative add of him this week, but I'm waiting to see that he's healthy and going to be productive before wasting my shrinking FAAB budget on him. Mixed: $0; AL: $1.

Brian Roberts, 2B, BAL - Roberts (concussion) appears to be on the same recovery path as Sidney Crosby. It's looking less and less likely that he'll play this season. If you've been stashing him in a league that you really can't afford to stash players, it's probably safe to make him walk the plank. Injury Update.

OUTFIELDERS

Trayvon Robinson, OF, SEA - Robinson's value will depend on how much action he gets, but it's worth featuring the fact that he was called up. The Dodgers, who have been searching for a quality bat to regularly start in left field, traded Robinson, their best outfield prospect, to the Mariners for some crap and more crap. Through 368 at-bats at Triple-A this season, Robinson hit .293 with 26 home runs, 71 RBI, 70 runs scored, eight steals, and a 45:122 BB:K ratio. Not even a week after acquiring him from the Dodgers, the Mariners called him. He made his debut Friday night and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. You may have seen his over-the-wall catch on top plays from Friday night. He started a second straight game Saturday and went yakitty-yak over the outfield wall to record the first home run of his big league career. The Mariners will have him in an outfield rotation with Casper Wells, but they may also give Robinson at-bats at DH. Watch his usage to see how shallow of leagues he can be used in. If you're bidding on him this week, it's under the hope that he'll win the everyday job in left field for the remainder of the season. You may have to bid more than I am willing to suggest, because his over-the-wall catch from Friday has most certainly raised his profile. Mixed: $2; AL: $11.

Denard Span, OF, MIN - Span (concussion) was activated from the DL Tuesday. He's back to starting in center. Make sure he's in your lineups for the week ahead. Injury Update.