Jed Lowrie will play shortstop for the Red Sox while Julio Lugo is on the mend.

NL Only Options

Manny Corpas – Relief Pitcher – Rockies - Since being ousted as Rockies’ closer, Corpas has regained his magic, and has been pitching excellently lately. We all saw Corpas at his best last season down the stretch and in the playoffs for the surprising Rockies, and he sure did look great. He is the same pitcher, just with an ERA inflated from his early season struggles. With Brian Fuentes a hot name on the block as we approach the trading deadline, and many teams looking for relief help, the Rockies could be looking for a new closer soon. Pick up Corpas if you’re looking for a good middle reliever or setup man, and keep an eye on him as a potential closer in case Fuentes is traded.

Chris Volstad – Starting Pitcher – Marlins - The newest addition to the Marlin rotation has been excellent since his arrival. Volstad has been considered one of the Marlins’ top prospects for a while, and now appears to be delivering on his potential. He has a huge frame, at 6’ 7’’, and his height provides a nice downward plane on his pitches. Combining that with good movement, Volstad is a heavy groundball pitcher. Groundball rates, Strikeout rates, and walk rates are the best ways to judge pitchers, especially young pitchers, and though Volstad’s K rate and BB rate have been suspect, his GB rate definitely makes him big league caliber. That said, he is not an overpowering pitcher in any sense, and should settle into the back of NL only rotations this year, with the potential to move up as he matures. He had trouble striking out AA hitters this year; so don’t count on him to help you much there.

Jason Bergmann  - Starting Pitcher – Nationals - Quietly, Bergmann has been pitching excellent lately, although his win total certainly won’t show it. Just 1-6 on the year, his record is more of a reflection of the Nationals offensive struggles than it is an indictment of his pitching. He has posted 5 straight quality starts, going 0-2 over that span. He has also put up decent strikeout numbers, with 63 in 80.2 innings, a good number when contrasted with just 19 walks allowed. His ERA is down to 4.02, with a 1.30 WHIP. Bergmann was solid last year for the Nats also, and was successful throughout his minor league career, showing that this performance is most likely not a fluke. He is worth a pickup in NL only leagues, though not worth mixed league consideration yet. Just keep your fingers crossed for some more wins.

AL Only Options

Jed Lowrie – Infielder – Red Sox - Lowrie finds himself in the starting lineup for the Red Sox after the injury to Julio Lugo, which will sideline him for 4-6 weeks. Lowrie is a pretty good hitting shortstop prospect, a rarity among today’s minor leagues. He projects as the shortstop of the future, and with Lugo’s struggles this year both offensively and defensively, Lowrie could be the full time starter next year. At the plate, Lowrie will remind you a lot of his double play partner, Dustin Pedroia. He won’t steal a ton of bases or hit a ton of home runs, but he should eventually hit for a good average and draw plenty of walks, while providing runs in the high-powered Red Sox lineup. Lowrie should be owned in AL leagues, and if he hits, possibly even deep mixed leagues. Look out for him next year too.

Asdrubal Cabrera – Second Baseman – Indians - After his early season struggles, Cabrera lost his job to Josh Barfield and was sent to down to Triple A Buffalo to regain his stroke. Barfield immediately got hurt, and Jamey Carroll has been filling the position for the Tribe since. Cabrera has been hitting again, enough to earn a promotion back to the big league club for the second half. He hit .326 with 4 home runs in his brief minor league stay, and it appears as though he is back to being the hitter you thought he was to begin this season. I wouldn’t be shocked if he ran a little bit upon his return to the club either, he stole 23 bases last year in the minors before his promotion. Keep an eye on him, and if he looks good in the early going, jump on him.

Gio Gonzalez – Starting Pitcher – Athletics - Goodbye Joe Blanton, hello Gio Gonzalez! Gonzalez is a very good pitching prospect that will get the spot in the rotation vacated by Blanton following his trade to the Phillies. Though he has an ERA of 4.34, most of those runs were scored in a few bad starts. His last 4 starts have been great, as he has only allowed only 3 runs in his last 28.1 innings. One of the top strikeout pitchers in the minors, Gonzalez will love his new digs. As I discussed in last week’s article, Oakland’s ballpark will make any pitcher look average, and good pitchers look great. Take a look at what Sean Gallagher has done since his arrival. Gonzalez has a mid 90s fastball and a nice hook, which is very good stuff for a lefty. The 22-year old shouldn’t have any problem maintaining his spot in the Oakland rotation, and has the potential to make a big impact. If his first few starts go well and he keeps his control, he can be considered an option in all leagues.