The sun will rise, the sun will set, and Nick Johnson will go on the disabled list.

Welcome back to another installment of In Focus, where we look at the most noteworthy transactions of the week.

Starting in the American League, the Los Angeles Angels made several roster moves this week as John Lackey was activated from the disabled list, where he has spent all of 2008. Lackey wasted no time in getting back to his old form, hurling 7 innings of 1 run ball. The Angels are in first presently by a small margin, but with Lackey coming back, that lead is likely to increase. To make room, the Angels sent back down Brandon Wood and Nick Adenhart, their young hitting and pitching prospects, respectively. Both struggled, with Wood hitting only .154 in 26 at-bats, and Adenhart walking more than one batter per inning in three starts. Keep Wood and Adenhart on your radar in keeper leagues, but their contributions in 2008 remain questionable.

Sticking out west, the Dodgers placed Rafael Furcal on the disabled list this week, with a strained back. Since it was retroactive to May 6, the Dodgers are likely to activate him this week. Furcal is having an absolutely monster season thus far, batting .366, with five home runs, and eight stolen bases thus far. Keep an eye out on Furcal's news this week, and get him back into your lineup if the news remains positive. As far as his replacement goes, Chin-Lung Hu is unlikely to get enough time to make a real impact.

In other shortstop injury news, Jeff Keppinger of the Reds was placed on the disabled list with a fractured kneecap. This is a shame, as Keppinger was starting to emerge as a solid shortstop, batting 324 as he filled in for Alex Gonzalez, who ironically, also suffered a fractured knee. Both Jerry Hairston Jr. and Paul Janish will replace Keppinger. Janish is unlikely to have much value, but Hairston could be worth a pickup in deep NL-Only leagues if you are need of some speed.

The Chicago Cubs made me scratch my head a bit this week, as they signed the corpse of Jim Edmonds to platoon center field with Reed Johnson. There certainly seemed unnecessary, as even though he was struggling, Felix Pie was still out-performing Edmonds. Moreover, Edmonds lacks his once impressive range, and Pie appears to be a better fielding option as well. While there is always the chance that Edmonds can recapture his old form (particularly in a better ballpark), this seems to be a move based on Lou Piniella's preference for veterans, rather than on any solid baseball decision-making. I would avoid Edmonds in all but the deepest of NL-Only leagues.

The New York Mets brought up Claudio Vargas from Triple-A, after Nelson Figueroa's clock struck midnight. Vargas has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout his major league career, but always has the potential to put it all together. His first start for the Mets was a strong one, as he went 6 2/3 with only two earned runs. His next start will come against the Braves, and you could do worse in NL-Only Leagues.

Next up is an annual event, with Nick Johnson being placed on the disabled list, this time with a torn wrist tendon. He is expected to miss about four to six weeks, although given Johnson's notorious slow healing, it could be more like six to eight weeks. Dmitri Young was activated, but there will always be questions as to whether he can handle an every day workload at his current weight. Aaron Boone has been solid thus far in relief of Johnson, and may get more full time action in the upcoming weeks. Both Young and Boone are worth a look in deep NL-Only leagues, although they are not quite of the caliber of mixed leagues just yet.

Finally, after removing him from the closer role, the Cardinals placed Jason Isringhausen on the disabled list with a "lacerated pitching hand." Chris Perez, the closer of the future was promoted from Triple-A, and has proceeded to throw two scoreless innings, and collect a win in his first two outings. Though Tony La Russa may be hesitant to hand the reins to Perez so quickly, it is only a matter of time before the Cardinals insert him into the closer’s role.

That is all for this week. See you next time.