Thursday Lineup Card: Snider Fulfilling Potential

This article is part of our The Lineup Card series.

Thursday Lineup Card

Sponsored by DraftStreet

Projected Starters - A look at Thursday's matchups (all times Eastern):

Padres (Dustin Moseley - R) vs. Marlins (Javier Vasquez - R) 12:10
Cardinals (Jake Westbrook - R) vs. Mets (Jonathon Niese - L) 12:10
Mariners (Doug Fister - R) vs. Blue Jays (Ricky Romero - L) 12:30
Braves (Tommy Hanson - R) vs. Rockies (Jhoulys Chacin - R) 3:10
Rangers (C.J. Wilson - L) vs. Angels (Jered Weaver - R) 3:35
Yankees (CC Sabathia - L) vs. Rays (James Shields - R) 7:10
Tigers (Justin Verlander - R) vs. Twins (Carl Pavano - R) 8:10
Brewers (Zack Greinke - R) vs. Diamondbacks (Ian Kennedy - R) 9:40
  
Day After Night: SD/FLA, STL/NYM, SEA/TOR, ATL/COL, TEX/LAA

Injuries

Day-to-Day

Travis Buck, OF, CLE (head) - still feeling the effects of being hit by pitch Tuesday
Michael Brantley, OF, CLE (illness) - will likely return to lineup by the weekend      
Scott Sizemore, 2B, OAK (neck) - x-rays returned negative after he was hit by pitch on Tuesday
Jemile Weeks, 2B, OK (finger) - playing through jammed finger, may need to miss a couple of games
Scott Hairston, OF, NYM (leg) - shin sore after fouling off a pitch on Monday
Drew Stubbs, OF, CIN knee) - resulting from hit by pitch on Tuesday
Josh Thole, C, NYM (personal) - with wife in labor, he's taken a three day paternity leave
Chase Headley, 3B, SD (calf) - took batting practice and fielded grounders on Tuesday; hopes to avoid the DL
Aubrey Huff, 1B, SF (back) - tightness in lower back will keep him out for a couple of days
Tom Gorzelanny, P, WAS (ankle) - threw pain-free side session on Wednesday; should make Saturday start

Players on the DL

Peter Bourjos, OF, ANA (hamstring) - running at 60%; likely to be activated on Saturday
Cesar Izturis, SS, BAL (elbow) - targeting a return to the Orioles next Tuesday
Justin Duchscherer, P, BAL (hip) - doctors are recommending another surgery
Luke Scott, DH, BAL (shoulder) - hopes to return by the end of this weekend
Clay Buchholz, P, BOS (back) - could throw from a mound on Friday
Bobby Jenks, P, BOS (back) - recently received an injection of platelet-rich plasma to speed up recovery
Jed Lowrie, SS, BOS (shoulder) - started swinging at balls off a tee
Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE (knee) - MRI on knee did not reveal any serious damage
Scott Baker, P, MIN (elbow) - Manager Ron Gardenhire expects Baker to start on Saturday
Jason Kubel, OF, MIN (foot) - expected back in lineup on Friday
Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN (neck) - soon to be cleared for more baseball activity
Rafael Soriano, P, NYY (elbow) - threw 1.1 innings at High-A Tampa on Tuesday
Eric Chavez, 3B, NYY (foot) - began rehab assignment with High-A Tampa on Tuesday
Tyson Ross. P, OAK (oblique) - expected to throw a few bullpen sessions before rehab assignment
Wade Davis, P. TB (forearm) - expected to start on Friday
Chipper Jones, 3B, ATL (knee) - will play for Low-A Rome on the weekend
J.J. Putz, P, AZ (elbow) - threw perfect inning in minors on Tuesday
Esmil Rogers, P, COL (ribs) - will make Triple-A start for Colorado Springs on Thursday
Casey Blake, 3B, LAD (neck) - began hitting and fielding drills earlier this week; needs a rehab stint
David Wright, 3B, NYM (back) - continued success in rehab stint points to a possible Friday return
Roy Oswalt, P, PHI (back) - scheduled to throw a second bullpen on Friday; rehab assignment to follow
Placido Polanco, 3B, PHI  (back) - will receive a cortisone or epidural shot as soon as Thursday
Brad Lidge, P, PHI (shoulder) - may be activated from DL by Friday
Ryan Doumit, C, PIT (ankle) - could be back some time next week
Jose Tabata, OF, PIT (quadriceps) - removed from Wednesday's rehab game with tightness in quad

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

Called Up

Charlie Furbush, P, DET
Duane Below, P, DET

Sent Down

C.J. McElroy, OF, STL
Adam Wilk, P, DET
Casper Wells, OF, DET
Hector Santiago, P, CWS
Jesus Sucre, C, SEA
Joe Bateman, P, TB
Everth Cabrera, SS, SEA
Jerry Blevins, P, OAK
Tommy Hottovy, P, BOS

Placed on DL

Brian Roberts, 2B, BAL (concussion) - moved to 60 day DL
Sergio Mitre, P, NYY (shoulder)
Miguel Tejada, SS, SF (abdomen)
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, SF (shoulder) - moved to 60 day DL

Activated from DL

John Danks, SP, CWS
Jason Bartlett, SS, SD

Closer Watch

Pirates - Joel Hanrahan picked up his 28^th save in 29 opportunities on Tuesday and has figured in more than half of Pittsburgh's wins to date. His 1.24 ERA and 0.92 WHIP underline the fact that he has emerged as one of the most dominant closers in the majors. His 38 strikeouts against only eight walks over 43.2 innings of work is not bad, either.

Padres - Heath Bell continues to one of the few bright lights in a dismal season for the Padres. He picked up his 27^th save on Tuesday for a team that has only 42 wins on the year. He's only blown two opportunities on the year and his name is being thrown around in numerous rumors with the trade deadline approaching. He remains one of the best relievers in the majors and could fetch a handsome return.

Phillies - All year long, as expected the Phillies have been among the best teams in the league and recently one of the club's few weaknesses looks like it is being filled admirably by Antonio Bastardo, who has converted all seven of his save opportunities, while posting a sparkling 0.99 ERA. Even more impressive, he has only allowed 13 hits in his 36.1 innings of work. This young power pitcher also has 43 strikeouts in 36.1 innings of work.

Royals - Joakim Soria saw his profile fall from the ranks of the top closers in the game with a poor start to the season. Over the past month, he has rediscovered his top form. In his last 10 appearances he has allowed only one earned run, while notching seven saves. He has shown pinpoint control in not walking any batters while striking out eight in that span.

Recommended Pickup- Travis Snider, OF, Blue Jays - For a couple of years, this young Blue Jay has been touted as a five-tool player who will eventually settle in to a middle of the order spot. After a dreadful start to his 2011 campaign, a stint in the minors seems to have brought a real focus to his game. Though his power stroke is not yet back, he is stinging line drives to all fields, with seven hits in his last 22 at bats.  He has also stolen eight bases and improved his concentration and execution in the field. It looks as though he is ready to be worthy of the high expectations that Blue Jay management has always expected of him.

Other recent recommendations: Jose Altuve, Joe Nathan, Mark Ellis.

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 - Victor Martinez, $6,683
1B - Miguel Cabrera, $8,630
2B - Dan Uggla, $5,947
3B - Edwin Encarnacion, $5,668
SS - Hanley Ramirez, $6,965
OF - Eric Thames, $6,731
OF - Mike Stanton, $5,752
OF - Travis Snider, $5,507
UTIL - Jose Bautista, $9,075
UTIL - Robinson Cano, $7,457
SP - Jonathon Niese, $7,399
SP - Javier Vazquez, $5,594
SP - CC Sabathia, $11,406
RP - Leo Nunez, $2,810
P - Joe Nathan, $1,908
P - Brandon League, $2,399

Total: $99,931

Register for a free account at DraftStreet.com and start playing daily fantasy sports games today!