Player Notes

Jedd Gyorko went 2-for-4 and hit his fifth homer Wednesday versus the Cardinals.
Advice: With two homers and three doubles among his 13 hits in his last eight games, Gyorko is really coming along now; his average is up to .283 and all five of his homers have come in May. We don't expect him to keep his average up this high -- he strikes out a bit too much right now -- but he's a solid play in mixed leagues.

Alberto Callaspo went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the Angels' win over the Mariners on Wednesday.
Advice: Callaspo scored twice and drove in two runs, and he's now got a .277/.330/.415 line. Against the odds, he's been one of the Angels' better hitters thus far, and he's been finding his way into the lineup more often in recent weeks.

Adeiny Hechavarria went 0-for-4 at the plate in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies, watching his average drop to .193.
Advice: We can hardly blame Hechavarria for not getting a hit against Cliff Lee, but his 0-for-4's have hardly been a rare occurrence. The slick-fielding shortstop had a seven-RBI game earlier this month shortly after returning from the disabled list, but his offense has pretty much been non-existent otherwise.

Pablo Sandoval is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Nationals due to illness.
Advice: Tuesday's hero should be back in there following Thursday's scheduled off-day. Joaquin Arias will make the start at the hot corner.
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Daniel Descalso went 3-for-3 with his first career grand slam and an RBI double in the Cardinals' 10-2 rout of the Padres on Tuesday.
Advice: Descalso's slam followed an intentional walk to Jon Jay. Descalso entered the game with an ugly .197/.265/.289 line, and he probably wouldn't have been in the lineup if not for David Freese's thumb injury. The home run was his seventh in 813 major league at-bats.

Martin Prado went 0-for-4 on Wednesday and has fallen into a 2-for-19 slump.
Advice: Prado is still hitting for a better average this month and he did in April, but that's not saying much. He's gone 12 straight games without scoring a run. He has two runs scored and four RBI in 20 games overall for the month. And not only is his season OBP a lousy .283, but he's been caught on three of his four steal attempts. Good thing the Diamondbacks gave him that four-year, $40 million deal before some team could blow them out of the water this winter.

D.J. LeMahieu is expected to take over as the Rockies' starting second baseman following the demotion of Josh Rutledge.
Advice: Rutledge's recent slump and LeMahieu's .412/.444/.529 batting line early on, along with his solid defense, has convinced the Rockies to make a change. LeMahieu is a .294 career hitter over 125 games, but he offers next to nothing in the power and speed departments, making him worthy of picking up only in NL-only formats.
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Eduardo Nunez (rib cage) took batting practice Wednesday.
Advice: It's the first time he's done so since landing on the DL, as he had been limited to hitting off a tee and taking soft-toss. When Nunez will be ready to return to game action isn't known, but it shouldn't be too far off.
More: The LoHud Yankees Blog

Marco Scutaro went 0-for-3 with two walks Wednesday against the Nationals, snapping his 19-game hitting streak.
Advice: That's fine: Scutaro has now reached base safely twice in 14 games in a row, which is more impressive anyway.

Ty Wigginton went 0-for-2 with a walk in Monday's loss to the Padres.
Advice: He was also caught stealing. Wigginton doesn't draw many starts, and he doesn't do much with them when he does, slashing .194/.286/.226 with no homers or steals and one RBI through 31 at-bats. St. Louis doesn't often make mistakes, but the two-year, $5 million deal they gifted Wigginton in mid-December certainly qualifies.

Jonathan Herrera is batting .283/.327/.370 through 49 plate appearances.
Advice: If his slash numbers hold, Herrera will finish with the best offensive season of his career, topping the .694 OPS he mustered in 2010. Unfortunately, the utility infielder has scuffled in the field recently, recording three errors in his last 12 games.

Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon started at second base Monday night for Double-A Harrisburg.
Advice: It's interesting given Danny Espinosa's struggles, but Nationals manager Davey Johnson doesn't think Rendon is ready to play second base at the major league level yet. "We like him - we like him a lot," said Johnson. "But putting him at second at the major-league level, he's not there yet. He's not (playing second) specifically. He's just occasionally going over there." Rendon is hitting .390 (23-for-59) with four home runs and 16 RBI since his demotion earlier this month. Nothing appears imminent, but it would be a good idea to continue to monitor his progress in fantasy leagues.
More: FOX Sports