Rich Harden is spending the next two weeks in a familiar place - the disabled list.

It seems that every time I check my fantasy team’s starting lineup, I need to make adjustments for injuries. There are more injuries early in the season this year than I have seen in the past ten seasons. Whether it is poor stretching, lack of dedication in the off-season, or freak landings when fielding or running, it appears that the free agent market has never been more vital in the first few weeks of a season. Here is a look at a few that may affect your line-up, either because they are on your roster or you are lacking in a statistical area and their injury opens the door for you to grab the next guy in line and increase some statistics.

Ebert Gives Lowell One Thumb Down

As if the Red Sox’s start of 4 – 5 was not bad enough, the news of Mike Lowell possibly hitting the designated list hurts that much more. Lowell injured his thumb while fielding an Ivan Rodriguez drive down the third base line.  He made a backhanded stab and threw Pudge out from his knees. Sean Casey, who pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the second, replaced him in the lineup, while Kevin Youkilis slid over to cover third base. X-Rays were negative, but Lowell left Fenway in a splint and said he could feel his hand separate when he rolled it.

“No Way!  Floyd Injured?”

Cliff Floyd is quoted as saying “Here we go again” to a Tampa Tribune reporter. After batting .333 with two knocks and five runs batted in, he is headed to the position he has played the most games at, the disabled list. He says he has felt discomfort since spring training, and even received negatives back in March, when they X-rayed for structural damage.

It seems that the Braves lose a closer to injury every season. Last year it was a player they made a trade for, Mike Gonzalez, who saw his season ended in injury. This year, Rafael Soriano takes his place on the disabled list. Gonzales is still months away from returning, so it appears the stopgap will be rookie setup man Manny Acosta. If you need a reliever, here is your chance. If Acosta does not pan out, they may turn to either Peter Moylan or Will Ohman; however, any of the three is not a long-term solution as they feel that Soriano can be back soon.

With Pedro Martinez on the shelf for the near future, the team now turns its eyes to the aging Orlando Hernandez. El Duque responds by complicating the Mets’ rotation further with a strained tendon in the front part of his foot. Already on the disabled list for a dislocation on his second toe, this new injury adds to the woes of the pitching staff. If that was not enough, he has also been dealing with a bunion on his foot since last season. And I thought that only old ladies dealt with bunions! Epsom Salts, anyone?

Two Consecutive Starts a Career High

Rich Harden has done it again! He made his traditional two consecutive starts and now teeters on the brink of injury. First, his start was pushed back because of a strained suscapularis muscle in his right shoulder, then it was announced last night that Harden is going on the DL. Although classifed by Harden as a mild strain, the bottom-line is that the Athletics will have to rely on left-hander Lenny DiNardo to take his start on Saturday versus the Cleveland Indians.

Rookie Alert: If DiNardo is called upon for any type of relief effort prior to the start we could see the next A’s prospect, left-hander Dallas Braden make a spot start in place of Rich Harden. For keeper leagues, this is a great thing as we get a good look at a solid prospect.

One Up, One Down

All the hype about the first base battle between returning starter Nick Johnson and last year’s comeback player of the year, Dmitri Young, seems to be water under the bridge as Young heads for the 15-day disabled list. Young has been diagnosed with a sprained lower back (or “old man’s disease, as I refer to it), leaving Johnson with sole duties at the bag.  With the loss of Young comes the return of journeyman catcher Johnny Estrada. Backup catcher Jesus Flores expected to be sent back to Class AA ball.  However, the stint on the D/L for Young allows the team to go with three catchers.

Giants’ Age a Factor Again

Veteran outfielder Dave Roberts has a torn meniscus and further x-rays show more debris behind the kneecap that has caused consistent swelling. This is good news for the young Giants outfielders who have been pushing for playing time.  Rajai Davis and Fred Lewis stand to gain the most from the injury to Roberts. With a .153 batting average, Lewis is not winning over anybody right now. Add in the call-up of outfielder Clay Timpner, instead of Nate Schierholtz (injured) as would be expected, and Dan Ortemeier’s homerun against a right-handed pitcher (stopping the switch-hitting approach) and it may end up being that Lewis is the odd man out.