Felix Hernandez -- Hernandez, who has had his start pushed back twice over the past week due to a strained oblique, will reportedly throw and be reevaluated this week to see when he'll be able to make his next start. King Felix is in the running for the Cy Young this year with a 3.01 ERA, and his 2.69 xFIP indicates that he's been even better than his stellar surface numbers indicate. Obviously, fantasy owners are hoping to get him back as soon as possible.
Aaron Hicks -- The season of Minnesota's Opening Day center fielder, Aaron Hicks, is over as Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire said yesterday that Hicks wouldn't be recalled this month. Hicks' season was one he'll soon hope to forget, as he triple-slashed .192/.259/.338 in 313 major league plate appearances. Hicks was considered a top prospect coming into the year and still has a world of talent, but he had no experience at Triple-A and was clearly overmatched by major league pitching. He'll likely start 2014 back at Triple-A trying to develop to the point of helping Minnesota down the line.
Justin Masterson -- Masterson, who is dealing with an oblique strain, hopes to resume playing catch this weekend. The end of the season is quickly approaching, however, and he'll need to experience no issues whatsoever if he hopes to make another start or two this year. The good news is that Cleveland's schedule for the concluding weeks of the season is a cake walk with Houston, Chicago, and Minnesota on tap. That means Masterson is worth holding onto in very deep mixed and AL-only leagues where you can afford the bench spot.
Alexi Ogando -- While the Texas Rangers had initially expressed their intent to keep Alexi Ogando in a bullpen role this month, word yesterday is that they may consider starting him next Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Manager Ron Washington said, "I wouldn't be shocked if Ogando starts a game and I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't start a game. Ogando has always been a candidate to start, but he just came off the disabled list. He's got to face hitters and then we'll make a decision." Ogando would need to stretch himself out a bit this week, but given that he probably wouldn't be able to go deep into the game and that it's a rather unfavorable matchup (at Tampa Bay), he's not likely to garner much mixed league consideration. I like Ogando's stuff and his track record is solid, although he's been a relative disappoint, peripherally speaking, this year with a 6.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, and 4.98 xFIP despite a 3.38 ERA. His health issues may have played into that a little bit, so he's worth owning in AL-only leagues, but don't stretch for him in mixers.
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