Player Notes

Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer Friday against the White Sox.
Advice: Salty is batting .333 in 42 at-bats this month. The Red Sox are trying to limit the switch-hitter's at-bats against left-handers and it's working so far; he's hitting .302 with all five of his homers and 12 of his 13 RBI against righties.

Chase Utley was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup after feeling discomfort in his right side during batting practice.
Advice: He'll be re-evaluated on Wednesday before the Phillies determine how much time he might miss. If it's an oblique issue that Utley is dealing with, obviously there's a good chance it could lead to a trip to the disabled list. Freddy Galvis is taking his spot at second base Tuesday.
More: Jim Salisbury on Twitter

Reserve outfielder Logan Schafer has posted a .455 OPS for the Brewers this season.
Advice: Although Shafer at times looks like a high-schooler at the dish -- slashing .182/.250/.205 -- he's actually registered a positive WAR, due to the three runs he's estimated to have saved in the field, per Baseball Reference. That's good enough to keep a roster spot in the majors, of course, but glove-only subs will have to wait until fantasy baseball evolves to include advanced defensive metrics to have any value even in the deepest of leagues.

George Kottaras has just two hits this season.
Advice: Kottaras has started only four games this season and hasn't registered a hit since April 28. He's batting .125/.364/.375 this season, somehow drawing six walks in 21 plate appearances despite his limp bat.

Rex Brothers hasn't allowed a run since April 6.
Advice: And that run, surrendered to the Padres, is the only blemish on his campaign to this point. Brothers has six holds, a 0.47 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 20/7 K/BB ratio over 21 appearances. He's been Colorado's best reliever, but closer Rafael Betancourt is also pitching well for the 24-21 Rockies. Brothers could be Colorado's full-time closer next season, but he likely won't earn saves in 2013 barring injury.

Tony Sipp's walk rate (6.0) and strike-to-walk rate (1.38) are the highest and lowest of his career, respectively.
Advice: Sipp's only pitched 12 inning over 18 appearances, so it's not time for Kirk Gibson to panic, but the left-hander will be playing with fire if he can't iron out his control issues. His 3.75 ERA is better than last season's 4.42, but Sipp's peripherals suggest that he was a better hurler in 2012. The improvement in ERA is entirely tied to Sipp keeping the ball in play. He's surrendered only one bomb after giving up nine last year.

Bartolo Colon pitched the A's past the Rangers by allowing just two runs over seven innings on Monday.
Advice: Colon walked as many batters tonight (two) as he did in his first eight starts combined, but he had his best outing in a month anyway, winning for the first time since April 23. He's 4-2 with a 4.31 ERA overall.

Indians recalled INF Cord Phelps from Triple-A Columbus.
Advice: Phelps will give the Indians some infield depth while Nick Swisher spends a few days with his wife and new baby daughter. Phelps was batting .233/.318/.431 with five homers and 19 RBI in 30 games at Triple-A.

Nationals placed RHP Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 20, with a fractured right hand.
Advice: Mattheus suffered the injury Sunday after he gave up five runs on four hits and two walks over one inning against the Padres and punched his locker in frustration. No word yet on how long he'll be sidelined, but he's obviously facing an extended absence. The Nationals are calling up Yunesky Maya and Fernando Abad for some bullpen insurance.

Jemile Weeks has been playing some shortstop at Triple-A Sacramento.
Advice: Weeks offered to learn the position in hopes that it would give him a better chance to be called up. He's actually appeared in more games as a shortstop (14) than he has as a second baseman (12) for Sacramento, and River Cats manager Steve Scarsone has told Bob Melvin that Weeks is "very playable" at the position. Weeks is batting .285/.413/.376 with two homers and eight steals at Triple-A.
More: Athletics.mlb.com

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Tuesday that Samuel Deduno will be called up from Triple-A Rochester to start Friday's game against the Tigers.
Advice: In other words, Kyle Gibson's major league debut will have to wait. Deduno, who had a breakthrough performance during the World Baseball Classic, has a 2.70 ERA and 17/10 K/BB ratio in 16 2/3 innings over three starts with Triple-A Rochester since returning from a groin injury. He'll have a pretty tough first matchup, so fantasy owners should steer clear for now.
More: Dustin Morse on Twitter

Pitching exclusively out of the bullpen, Josh Collmenter is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 22 innings.
Advice: Last year's horrific April that cost him a rotation spot seems like a distant memory. Collmenter finished with a 2.13 ERA in 72 innings (seven starts, 17 relief appearances) over the final five months in 2012 and has carried that success into a new season. Of particular interest is his strikeout and K/BB rate, both improved over last year, which were both improvements over 2010's fifth-place-ROY-voting campaign.

Andres Torres went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's win against Washington.
Advice: Prior to the evening, Torres hadn't collected a hit since May 8. The 35-year-old backup outfielder is batting just .247/.282/.346 over 81 at-bats this season.

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.

Cubs claimed RHP Eduardo Sanchez off waivers from the Cardinals; assigned him to Triple-A Iowa.
Advice: Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch speculates that Sanchez was cleared from the Cardinals' 40-man roster in order to make room for Tyler Lyons. Either way, the Cubs were quick to pounce. The 24-year-old has struggled with his control, but he has a big arm and has displayed the ability to get swings-and-misses at the big league level. He could be a useful bullpen piece for Chicago.

Brad Ziegler owns a 2.61 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 24 appearances.
Advice: The former 20th-round pick hasn't received much attention since he blew onto the scene as a rookie in 2008 (finishing eighth on that season's Rookie of the Year balloting), but he hasn't slowed down much. The right-handed specialist has posted a career 2.45 ERA over 347 appearances, which makes him a good bullpen piece in deeper formats, even if he had more saves in that rookie season (11) than he's had since (eight).

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.

Aaron Hill will have his left hand examined by a doctor next Monday.
Advice: That will be two weeks after Hill was hoping to get the go-ahead to resume baseball activities, as his fractured hand is healing much slower than expected. The original timetable had him possibly returning by late May, but he probably won't be activated until well into June now.
More: Nick Piecoro on Twitter