Sunday Lineup Card: Colon Smells Good in Return

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

Sponsored by DraftStreet

Projected Starters – A look at Saturday's matchups (all times Eastern)

Giants (Ryan Vogelsong – R) at Tigers (Rick Porcello – R), 1:05
Phillies (Cliff Lee – L) at Blue Jays (Jo-Jo Reyes – L), 1:07
Yankees (Francisco Garcia – R) at Mets (R.A. Dickey – R), 1:10
Indians (Mitch Talbot – R) at Reds (Mike Leake – R), 1:10
Pirates (Kevin Correia – R) at Nationals (Jason Marquis – R), 1:35
Orioles (Zach Britton – L) at Braves (Brandon Beachy – R), 1:35
Cardinals (Kyle Lohse – R) at Rays (Jeremy Hellickson – R), 1:40
Red Sox (Josh Beckett – R) at Astros (Jordan Lyles – R), 2:05
Brewers (Zach Greinke – R) at Twins (Nick Blackburn – R), 2:10
White Sox (Gavin Floyd – R) at Cubs (Rodrigo Lopez – R), 2:20
Royals (Luke Hochevar – R) at Rockies (Jason Hammel – R), 3:10
Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy – R) at Athletics (Gio Gonzalez – L), 4:05
Padres (Mat Latos – R) at Mariners (TBA), 4:10
Marlins (Javier Vazquez – R) at Rangers (C.J. Wilson – L), 8:05
Dodgers (Chad Billingsley – R) at Angels (Ervin Santana – R), 8:10

Day game after a night game: PIT, WAS, SF, DET, BOS, HOU, STL, TB, BAL, ATL, MIL, MIN, KC, COL, AZ, OAK, SD, SEA

Injuries – A brief look at players who have been missing time with minor ailments and their expected returns

Day-to-Day (includes players expected to make their return from the DL)
Pat Burrell, OF, SF – (Foot) Scratched from Friday's game. Status unknown for Saturday.
Orlando Hudson, 2B, SD – (Knee) Has bone bruise. Expected to miss a few days at the least.
Cole Hamels, SP, PHI – (Hand) Bullpen moved back a day but still expected to start Tuesday.
Xavier Paul, OF, PIT – (Hamstring) Not in the lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.
Jeff Keppinger, 2B, HOU – (Illness) Out for a third straight day Saturday.
Torii Hunter, OF, LAA – (Hand) X-rays came back negative. Remains day-to-day.
Dustin Ackley, 2B, SEA – (Ribs) Expected to return to the lineup Saturday.
Miguel Olivo, C, SEA – (Hamstring) Expected to return in a day or two.
Yunel Escobar, SS, TOR – (Hand) Out of the lineup Saturday.
Travis Buck, OF, CLE – (Hamstring) Removed from Friday's game with soreness. Out Saturday as well.

Players on the DL
Andrew Cashner, SP, CHC – (Shoulder) MRI showed his rotator cuff isn't fully healed, program pushed back 10 days. Return could be pushed back to September with this latest delay.
J.J. Putz, RP, AZ – (Elbow) Tests didn't find any structural damage. D-Backs hope he can return shortly after the All-Star break.
Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT – (Quadriceps) Could be in line for a return to the majors soon.
Aaron Harang, SP, SD – (Foot) Started running. Could return earlier than mid-July.
Joe Thatcher, RP, SD – (Shoulder) Progressing in return from surgery. Appears ahead of schedule.
Ryan Madson, RP, PHI – (Hand) Chance he could return before the All-Star break.
Brad Lidge, RP, PHI – (Shoulder) Could start a rehab assignment this week with aim to him returning by the end of July.
Albert Pujols, 1B, STL – (Wrist) Wrist has markedly improved. Could return immediately following the All-Star break.
Ryan Webb, RP, FLA – (Shoulder) Placed on the 15-day DL Saturday. Issues persist, so the team decided to give him extra time to rest.
Marlon Byrd, OF, CHC – (Face) Returned to the lineup Saturday.
Brandon Webb, SP, TEX – (Shoulder) Scratched from rehab start with discomfort in shoulder.
Carl Crawford, OF, BOS – (Hamstring) Probably won't return until after the All-Star break. Only running at 50%.
Matt LaPorta, 1B, CLE – (Ankle) Still sore and unable to take batting practice, but should still return before the All-Star break.
Jesse Litsch, SP, TOR – (Shoulder) Will be reevaluated after Sunday's rehab start.
Casey Janssen, RP, TOR – (Forearm) Will start a rehab assignment this week.
Al Alburquerque, RP, DET – (Elbow) Could return shortly after the All-Star break.
Brad Thomas, RP, DET – (Elbow) Sent back to Triple-A for more rehab.
John Danks, SP, CHW – (Oblique) Could start a rehab assignment late in the coming week.

Transactions – Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.

Placed on the DL (15-day DL unless otherwise noted)
Ronny Cedeno, SS, PIT (7-day)
Ryan Webb, RP, FLA

Activated from DL
Kyle Davies, SP, KC
Bartolo Colon, SP, NYY
Marlon Byrd, OF, CHC

Called Up
Brad Hand, RP, FLA
Pedro Ciriaco, 3B, PIT
Bryan Petersen, OF, FLA

Sent Down
Brian Gordon, RP/SP, NYY
Jarrod Dyson, OF, KC
Lou Montanez, OF, CHC

Designated for Assignment
Jose Lopez, 2B, FLA

Closer Watch – A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (also check out our Closer Grid)

Arizona – J.J. Putz (elbow) was placed on the 15-day DL, and David Hernandez will now being getting the save opportunities in Arizona.

Philadelphia – Antonio Bastardo is being used as the temporary closer while Ryan Madson (hand) is on the DL, and for the next week, Bastardo could pick up a decent number of saves with that All-Star rotation getting him plenty of opportunities.

San Francisco – Jeremy Affeldt picked up the save Friday after Brian Wilson struggled and loaded the bases in the ninth against the Tigers. This was a unique situation. Wilson remains the uncontested closer for the Giants.

Detroit – Jose Valverde came into a tied game Friday and gave up three runs to pick up the loss. He's not at any risk of losing his job.

Toronto – The closer carousel is precariously starting turn in preparation for the eventuality that could be Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, or some other yahoo in the Blue Jays' bullpen getting a chance to pick up saves. Frank Francisco blew the save Friday, putting him once again in position to lose his spot as the team's closer. After walking Placido Polanco to start off the ninth, Chase Utley hit a fly to left that Juan Rivera misplayed, putting two runners in scoring position without an out. Francisco may not get all the blame considering the poor defense behind him, but manager John Farrell has been impatient with his closers this year and may decide to use someone else in the next opportunity. It's a situation worth watching.

Recommended Pickup

Bartolo Colon, SP, NYY – I recommended Colon here earlier this season, but his trip to the DL with a hamstring injury resulted in him being dropped in many leagues. Colon is currently owned in only 45% of Yahoo! leagues, and his 3.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts through 78.1 innings is worth ownership in all but the shallowest of leagues. Make sure he isn't still available in your league. Colon is rejoining the Yankees' rotation Saturday.

Other recent recommendations:David Hernandez, Alex Presley, Ben Revere, Chris Heisey, Cameron Maybin, Lucas Duda, R.A. Dickey

Draft Street Competition

If you missed out on our recent free roll with DraftStreet, don't worry - we have another chance for you to take home some serious cash.

Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com today and start practicing. Remember to use bonus code Rotowire on your first deposit to get some extra cash released into your account as you play.

As a reminder, the competition will be an MLB Salary Cap league where values for each player are set based on projected fantasy value each day and your mission is to find the bargains and make the best 14 player team possible within the $100,000 budget.

Be sure to come back to RotoWire's Daily Lineup Card every day for all the analysis you need to dominate the competition and take home cash on DraftStreet.

Draft Street Lineup

C – Alex Avila, DET ($6,463)
1B – Ryan Howard, PHI ($6,639)
2B – Chase Utley, PHI ($9,341)
3B – Chipper Jones, ATL ($4,753)
SS – Hanley Ramirez, FLA ($6,838)
OF – Juan Rivera, TOR ($5,013)
OF – Mike Stanton, FLA ($4,410)
OF – Alex Rios, CWS ($4,481)
U – Carlos Quentin, CWS ($6,399)
U – Pablo Sandoval, SF ($6,721)
SP – Chad Billingsley, LAD ($9,660)
SP – Brandon Beachy, ATL ($12,239)
RP – Antonio Bastardo, PHI ($1,580)
P – Zack Greinke, MIL ($13,266)

Total: $99,803