Don't worry about what happened earlier this season, Jeff Clement can flat out rake and will hit for power at this level.

AL Only Options

Mike Aviles – Shortstop – Kansas City Royals – The Royals are still trying to find their offense this season. Tony Pena, their starting shortstop since the beginning of the season, is hitting somewhere way south of the Mendoza line (.154), so that was a likely place to try and make an upgrade. After trying several players there, they settled on Mike Aviles, who was hitting fairly well in the minors, but is not exactly known for being slick fielder. Since his call up, Aviles has certainly been an upgrade, with an average of .306, 3 home runs, 6 RBI, 12 Runs, and a stolen base. Nine of his fifteen hits have been for extra bases. Thirteen games is a bit of a small sample size, so don’t get overly excited about Aviles, but he makes a nice upgrade or injury replacement at shortstop or MI in AL only leagues. He should provide some pop along with an average in the .275 - .290 range.

Jeff Clement – Catcher/DH – Seattle Mariners – We’ve profiled Clement before, back when he was first called up, a tour that ended up being cut short under Bill Bavasi who expected instant results from Clement. Now Bavasi is gone and Clement is back, in all liklihood to stay this time, primarily as a DH, but also getting some starts behind the dish. Though you would never know it after his first disasterous call up, Clement can flat out rake, as his minor league stats show. He was batting .337 with 14 home runs, and 43 RBI in 47 games in the Pacific Coast League (AAA).Clement has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues, and should hit at the major league level given the chance to get himself going. He should be the starting DH going forward, and will get plenty of at bats. Expect decent power production along with an average better than .275, though it may take a while for him to acclimate to ML pitching.

Justin Masterson – Pitcher – Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox reached all the way down to Double A ball to promote Masterson for a couple of spot starts this season. Injuries to Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, and now Bartolo Colon, have made it necessary for Masterson to stay in the majors, a move the Sox were contemplating anyway, though they want him to work out of the bullpen to limit his innings. In six starts, Masterson has put together a 4-1 record, with an ERA of 3.00, 1.08 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 36 innings. He walks quite a few batters (17) but makes up for it by holding opponents to a .176 average. Those walks could become a problem if he starts giving up hits too, but for the time being he’s been dominant in all but one start. He is likely here to stay, though he could end up in the bullpen if all of Boston’s starters get healthy. Until then, ride the wave and soak up the wins and strikeouts Masterson will produce.

NL Only Options

Brandon Jones – Outfielder – Atlanta Braves – Jones was called up a week ago when it became apparent that Mark Kotsay may not be back for a while, if at all. Jones nearly made the team back in the spring, though the Braves decided to try Matt Diaz out as a full time player and shipped Jones to the minors for seasoning instead. In the 7 games he has started since he got the call, Jones has batted .400, with a home run, 4 RBI, and 4 runs. He has decent pop, good speed, and hits for average, all while providing high caliber defense in center field. If he hits well, he could stick with the Braves for the season in at least a part-time capacity. Grab him in NL only leagues and ride him while he is hot.

Chris Coste – Catcher – Philadelphia Phillies – Very quietly, Coste is putting together a nice season for himself as the back up to Carlos Ruiz. But along the way, the Phillies are discovering that Coste is a much better hitter, and much better defensive player than Ruiz, and Charlie Manuel is beginning to hand over more playing time to Coste as a result. Coste is batting .306 with 6 home runs, 17 RBI, and 13 runs in 41 games played. Manuel recently announced that Coste will be the starter against lefties, whom he hits at a .336 career clip, in addition to his regular starting duties. When he is in the lineup, he hits for power more often than not, and makes a great second catcher in leagues that use two. If you can get your hands on him, you could end up with a hot commodity if he ends up getting the bulk of the starting duties.