With Kenny Lofton on the DL, Cleveland's Jolbert Cabrera can fill an outfield spot adequately in an AL-only league.

Jolbert Cabrera -- Cleveland Indians
He's a pretty damn good stopgap for your AL outfield. He can hit for some power and steal some bases. He's a .260 hitter with minimal power that can steal 15 or more bases if given a full-time role for a season. Cabrera has hit .280 in 374 at-bats over the last two years at Triple-A with three home runs, 38 RBIs and 22 steals. He's a decent fill-in for Lofton.

Terrence Long -- Oakland A's
Long could stick for a while due to his power. His batting eye has never been strong, so it could be a two-month ride for Long, who could crash to earth quickly.

Randy Johnson -- Arizona Diamondbacks
There doesn't appear to be any stopping of Johnson, who could be on his way to a 25-win season easily. Don't expect any letdown.

Gregg Jefferies -- Detroit Tigers
It's not hard to imagine Jefferies -- who is hitting .286 through May 4 -- sneaking about 450 at-bats this year. Right now Damion Easley has a hairline fracture in his wrist and Jefferies has played 12 games at second base. If Easley's injury turns into a "mainline," then Jefferies has a greatly expanded role. He appears a bit more revitalized this spring under Phil Garner and with his role in the big leagues under question. Right now, he has zero homers and seven RBIs, so his value is limited, but he could help a wee bit, if you're desperate.

Scott Schoeneweis -- Anaheim Angels
A couple weeks back I stated that Schoeneweis had a good chance of continuing his success at this level. He's currently 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA. I stated that in the minor leagues "he had a K/BB ratio of 2.25 and a K/9 of 6.5. Those are very good numbers." True enough, but two weeks later Schoeneweis' numbers in the big leagues are looking sketchy. His K/BB ratio is -- ahem - 1.5. (18 strikeouts to 12 walks) while his K/9 ratio is 3.9. Both are pathetic numbers and much different from him minor league numbers. He's about to fade very, very hard.

Sliding
Todd Walker -- Minnesota Twins
Good for Walker. He deserves better than he's received in Minnesota where he was demoted to Triple-A this week for poor defensive performance. Hey, I'm not about to admit that Walker is the second coming of Frank White at second base, but he sure can help out with the bat. Walker could be traded very soon, but will be mired in Triple-A until that happens. A terrible loss for fantasy owners.

Fernando Tatis -- St. Louis Cardinals
Tatis could miss a month or two with a strained groin. Craig Paquette takes over in the interim and could add a little pop as a last-roster-spot guy in an NL-only league. However, his average has never been good and, well, he's Craig Paquette.

Gabe Kapler -- Texas Rangers
Kapler should have a brilliant future, but has been unable to solve big-league pitchers yet. He went on the disabled list and could be headed to Triple-A when he comes back, especially in light of rumors that the Rangers are looking to acquire Marvin Benard from San Francisco.

Aramis Ramirez -- Pittsburgh Pirates
Ramirez was sent down after hitting a putrid .167 with one home run and four RBIs in April. The Pirates will hand over his job to the always pathetic Mike Benjamin and Luis Sojo while also pursuing a trade for veteran journeyman Charlie Hayes. Ramirez will return this year, but it doesn't appear as though the Pirates would want him in anything more than a platoon role for this season with a veteran player.

Tony Gwynn -- San Diego Padres
The end of the line for the chronically banged-up Gwynn? Or a prime time to pick him up for a deep discount? Attention K-Mart shoppers, there's a Blue Light special on the Padres' disabled list. I still think he can hit when he comes back from the DL.

Darin Erstad -- Anaheim Angels
Erstad set a record for 48 hits in April. Let's just see him gather 300 hits this year. We dare him.

Kevin Millar -- Florida Marlins
Millar will likely be stuck in a platoon with Derrek Lee for the next few months. Lee is valued for his power, but Millar has shown the ability to hit for average and make contact. Think of Lee as a poor man's Ryan Klesko and Millar as a Hal Morris type. Lee could win out this battle, although it's far from over.

Closing Time
Keith Foulke -- Chicago White Sox
Foulke's success as a closer while Bob Howry served his suspension has given manager Jerry Manuel even more confidence in Foulke's abilities and could push Howry to a setup role.

Jose Jimenez -- Colorado Rockies
One pitcher to watch in Colorado is Mike Dejean. If Jimenez starts to struggle -- as is likely -- then Dejean would be a pitcher in line to take over. Dejean is returning from a successful rehab at Triple-A and has more Coors experience than Jimenez.

Steve Karsay -- Cleveland Indians
Karsay appears to be the man for now. His injury troubles are always a concern and there will definitely be an opportunity for Paul Shuey to save games.

Ricky Bottalico -- Kansas City Royals
Bottalico looks to be on borrowed time in the Royals' pen. Look for Kansas City to move toward a youngster like Dan Reichert or Jose Santiago as some point this season. Orber Moreno still fits into the Royals' long-term plans.

Danny Graves -- Cincinnati Reds
Graves should be good for 25-30 saves this year with Scott Williamson preferring a setup role in the bullpen. Graves, though, has numerous shaky outings last year.

Rumor Mill
San Francisco's Marvin Benard to Texas for Jeff Zimmerman
The rumored trade would free up a spot for Calvin Murray for a few more at-bats -- and even players like Armando Rios and Felipe Crespo would receive more time. Murray has excelled in early-season starts and Benard may not be suited for the odd center field in Pacific Bell Park. Zimmerman has struggled more this year after bursting on the scene last year as the top setup man in the game. The Rangers, though, boast a deep bullpen and the Giants could use even more insurance for closer Robb Nen. Texas may also be looking at Dmitri Young, Michael Tucker or Deion Sanders of Cincinnati.

Milwaukee's Charlie Hayes to Pittsburgh
Hayes is about as below average at third base as you can get. This would be an idiotic move for Pittsburgh, which should really settle on Aramis Ramirez and allow him to battle through his slump at the big-league level. Ramirez has little left to prove at Triple-A and trading for Hayes would push back Ramirez's progress for another year.

Comeback Trail
Curt Schilling Philadelphia Phillies
Curt Schilling did everything the Phillies hoped he'd do in his first start after coming off the disabled list Sunday. Everything except win. Schilling's final line appeared ordinary. He pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits in a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals. The Phillies are looking beyond those numbers, though. They are looking at a fastball that hit 96 mph 4 1/2 months after their staff ace had arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Matt Morris -- St. Louis
Morris is on target to return to the majors around June 1. Expect his success to be limited until mid-June, but he's a sleeper based on his past success.

Prospects
Adam Piatt -- Oakland A's Piatt wasn't Baseball Weekly's Minor League Player of the Year in 1999 for nothing. Adam Piatt hit his first major-league home run Sunday, and also hit two towering triples. Piatt is 8-for-19 since being called up from Class AAA Sacramento.

Ryan Anderson -- Seattle Mariners
Anderson could join the rotation soon after dismantling Triple-A competition in April. The "Little Unit" will be one of the more exciting pitchers in the game for the next decade. Like Randy Johnson -- the pitcher most often compared to Anderson -- he should be a strikeout machine. In Triple-A, he has average more than a strikeout per inning.

Mailbag
From: Harry M. Mateer:

What do you think about Al Leiter's prospects? He isn't looking too great right now, but I was able to pick him up from waivers pretty cheap.

Dear Harry:

Well, it's really not looking THAT bad. Leiter is 2-0 with a 4.46 ERA. In this day and age, that's not too bad. I'm sure you were hoping for 15 wins from Leiter -- and that's still within reach. He's a 14-15 win pitcher and the Mets have a tremendous amount of talent. He's always been pleasantly "wild" meaning that he makes hitters miss with pitches out of the zone. Well, now he's just wild. He's never changed. He'll always be a bit wild (13 walks in 34 1/3 innings this year) but you can expect him to cut his ERA to around 3.50 and for him to finish around 14-10.

From: Joe Fistrovich:

My hunch is that Roberto Hernandez will be traded by June. I'm wondering if any of the current other relievers, Jeff Sparks, Bryan Rekar, or Jim Mecir, have the "right stuff" to replace Hernandez. Do you agree with my thinking or am I just fantasizing?

Joe,

Actually, you bring up an excellent point. I agree. I'd go with Jim Mecir as having the best shot at closing in that instance. Mecir, of course, is on the disabled list currently. However, his past suggests he can be moderately successful at the role. In 10 outings this year, he has a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings while striking out 8. Over the last three years, Mecir has pitched 117 1/3 innings of relief to the tune of a 2.99 ERA. He had 100 strikeouts in that time for a K/9 ratio of 7.67 which is equal to a bunch of closers. His K/BB ratio was 1.96 and could be improved. However, he'd be a decent stopgap in comparison to the other closers. Good thinking!