Player Notes

Michael Brantley had an RBI single and a three-run homer in Sunday's win over the Mariners.
Advice: The longball came in the second inning off of Felix Hernandez. It's just the second homer of the season for Brantley, who was hitting third in the batting order. The outfielder has now driven in 19 while hitting .301 as he quietly puts together a nice season.

Martin Prado is batting .275 in May.
Advice: Slowly but surely, Prado is digging himself out of an awful early-season slump. In his first month with the Snakes, Prado slashed an anemic .217/.266/.348. Over 15 games this month, he's batting a reasonable .275/.339/.333. It's certainly not the start Arizona expected after acquiring Prado in the Justin Upton trade and subsequently signed him to a four-year, $40 million contract extension. Sporting his trademark multi-position eligibility and playing in cozy Chase Field, now might be the time to buy low. Prado entered the year a .319/.370/.447 career hitter in Arizona.

Justin Upton smacked a go-ahead grand slam and knocked in five runs in Friday's 8-5 win over the Dodgers.
Advice: For all his early success, this was the first time he had driven in more than two runs in a game this season. Upton collected his first RBI with a ground out in the bottom of the third inning and put the Braves ahead with his grand slam off Paco Rodriguez in the bottom of the sixth. It was the third grand slam of his career and his first since June 2, 2009. The 25-year-old outfielder currently leads the majors with 14 home runs and is just three shy of his total from all of last year.

Todd Frazier went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Monday, dropping his average back down to .224.
Advice: Frazier has six homers and 27 RBI, but he's probably not going to get that average up until he cuts back on the strikeouts. He's fanned 44 times in 43 games this year, compared to 103 times in 128 games last season.

Trevor Plouffe left Tuesday's game in the 10th inning after taking a knee to the head.
Advice: Plouffe was sliding into second base to break up a double play when Dan Uggla's knee caught him in the head. The third baseman was able to walk off the field without assistance but appeared to be a little woozy. He'll no doubt undergo concussion tests.
More: Rhett Bollinger on Twitter

Orioles placed OF Nolan Reimold on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 12, with a right hamstring strain.
Advice: It's the reason why Reimold was held out of the Orioles' lineup for the fifth straight day Saturday. Chris Dickerson will likely get the majority of starts at designated hitter in his absence. Given his injury history, Reimold could be looking at an extended stay on the DL.

In his return to the starting lineup, Bryce Harper (nausea, shoulder, knee) hit his 11th home run in a victory over the Padres.
Advice: Harper's seventh-inning solo bomb off Tyson Ross was his only hit in four at-bats. The wunderkind said he felt "terrible" after grounding out as a pinch-hitter Wednesday. It appears as though he'll have no further setbacks stemming from a violent kiss with the Dodger Stadium outfield wall on Monday.

Shane Victorino (back) is not in Friday's lineup against the Twins.
Advice: Victorino felt his back tighten up Thursday after he crashed into the right field fence, so he'll get the night off. There's a chance he could return Saturday.
More: NESN.com

Alex Rios went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk Friday, extending his hitting streak to 12 games.
Advice: Rios opened the season on fire, homering in four straight games from April 5-9 and collecting hits in 10 straight. A three-week slump followed, but he's gotten it going against lately. The homer tonight was his fourth during his hitting streak.

Brett Gardner went 2-for-3 with a walk, a triple and an RBI single in Friday's win over the Blue Jays.
Advice: Gardner tripled to lead off the bottom of the first and came around to score on a ground out by Robinson Cano. The 29-year-old is striking out more often than we have seen in the past, but the Yankees' leadoff man should continue to be an asset in mixed leagues. After getting off to a slow start in the speed department, he has seven stolen bases in eight attempts this month.

Curtis Granderson is starting in right field Saturday against the Blue Jays.
Advice: It's Granderson's first career start in right field. With Ichiro Suzuki struggling, the Yankees are looking for ways to get Granderson, Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner in the lineup against right-handed pitching. Granderson has been playing exclusively in left field since his return from the disabled list, so it's a sign that Ichiro's playing time could be reduced going forward.
More: Chad Jennings on Twitter

Carlos Quentin will return from the paternity leave list Saturday.
Advice: Quentin missed Thursday's game following the birth of his son and was placed on paternity leave Friday. The Padres will have to make a roster move Saturday in order to bring him back.
More: Corey Brock on Twitter

Indians placed 1B Nick Swisher on the paternity leave list.
Advice: Swisher's wife gave birth to a girl on Tuesday afternoon. He will be back within the next couple of days.

Matt Joyce finished 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI in Saturday's 10-6 victory over the Orioles.
Advice: Joyce cranked a two-run homer in the top of the third inning and then drove in another two runs with a double as the Rays staged an impressive comeback in the top of the ninth. The 28-year-old remains a fringe outfielder in standard mixed fantasy leagues.

Andre Ethier will receive a day off on Friday.
Advice: It's just a day of rest for the outfielder. Ethier has been hot of late, batting .500/.526/.625 over his last five contests.
More: Los Angeles Times

Rick Ankiel went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Saturday against the Cubs.
Advice: Ankiel is 6-for-20 (.300) with two homers, four RBI and six strikeouts since joining the Mets earlier this week. The 33-year-old is not going to hit for a high batting average, but he has enough pop to be useful in NL-only leagues as long as he gets regular at-bats in center field.