by Mike Harmon

Updated: June 9, 2008, 7:07 PM EST 4 comments

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Franco retired following a 23-year major league career in which he batted .298 with 1,194 RBI and 281 stolen bases. He truly honored the sentiment that you "should play until they tear the jersey off you."

I just have one question. Can somebody give him a call to pinch-hit in a fashion akin to that of Minnie Minoso (hit the Wikipedia wagon, folks)?

On Monday night, we'll witness the "next big thing" take to the hill for the Diamondbacks. Fresh off a relief outing in which "El Magnifico" (it's Cinco de Mayo, and "Mad" is too easy) Max Scherzer struck out seven hitters in 4 1/3 scoreless innings, he'll start against the Phillies. Hopefully, he'll fare better than Angels prospect Nick Adenhart, who was roughed up for five earned runs in two innings against the A's. He walked five batters in his brief outing.

I'll check in on Scherzer in Tuesday's waiver wrap-up. Until then, let's break down the rest of the action.

Fantasy forces: High yields

How about starting things with an unlikely hero? No, I'm not going to recommend picking up Sidney Ponson, but let's give him the proverbial tip of the cap for his two strong appearances for the Rangers. Ponson has allowed two earned runs in 13 1/3 innings, fanning nine hitters while walking three.

Jon Lester of the Red Sox has found the mark in his past two trips to the mound. Lester shut down the Rays and Blue Jays in those starts, pitching 14 innings of one-run ball (0.64). His control left something to be desired (seven walks), but he did well to mitigate the damage.

Roy Halladay picked up an elusive win when he shut down the slumping White Sox over the weekend. In his past two starts, the former Cy Young winner has surrendered two earned runs in 16 innings (1.13 ERA). Most impressively, Halladay racked up 13 strikeouts against a single walk.

Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez has been a nice addition this season, as he continues to rack up stolen bases in bunches. Gomez has already swiped 13 bases this season while posting a respectable .271 average. In the past seven days, Gomez has compiled a strong .385 average (5-for-13) with two RBI and three stolen bases.

Jack Cust received a new order of bats, and he promptly started making opposing pitchers pay. (Were any of them labeled "Wonder Boy?") Cust has hit safely in his past seven starts, batting .458 (11-for-24) with three home runs and five RBI during this period. His big swing isn't going to help you make a dent in the average category, but Cust will support your power categories.

Frank Thomas rediscovered his stroke upon returning to the A's. Although the Big Hurt hasn't homered since rejoining the team, he's batting a respectable .270 (11-for-37) with five RBI in an Oakland uniform. Is it enough to be called a "force?" Perhaps not, but there appear to be some hits left in the slugger's bat.

The month of April was kind to Chipper Jones of the Braves. The future Hall of Famer's bat hasn't slowed at the beginning of May, as he KO'd the Reds with a three-run homer and drove in five runs on Sunday. Jones ripped seven hits in 13 at-bats in the three-game series against the Reds with one home run, two doubles and six RBI. Jones enters the new week with a ridiculous .425 average.

Joe Saunders was abysmal against Baltimore, but he still managed to get a win to push his record to 6-0. (Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)

Joe Saunders posted his worst outing of the season in Sunday's start against the Orioles (12 hits and four earned runs in five innings), but that didn't stop him from picking up his sixth win against zero losses. The Angels have provided 37 runs of support in Saunders's starts. He's only struck out 21 batters in 48 1/3 innings, so opponents put the ball in play. This season, Saunders has induced 1.15 groundballs per flyball allowed, but his career 1.45 ratio suggests that he could continue his hot start.

Aaron Cook of the Rockies continued his winning ways with 7 2/3 strong innings against the Dodgers on Sunday. He picked up his fifth win of the season, surrendering two earned runs while scattering nine hits. Cook has pitched to a brilliant 2.40 ERA with a stellar 1.15 WHIP. Cook employs a devastating sinker and has induced 2.38 groundballs per flyball this season. If he can keep the ball down, Cook will continue to post strong numbers and negate the "Coors Effect."

Mike Cameron returned to the Milwaukee lineup following a lengthy suspension and immediately found his power stroke. Cameron hit two homers on Sunday, giving him three in his first 26 at-bats. He's still striking out at a high rate (eight times already), but Cameron is putting a charge into the ball when he connects. Cameron drove in seven runs this week.

Ervin Santana continued his breakthrough season with another strong outing against Oakland. Santana allowed one unearned run in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits and walked one, reducing his ERA to 2.48 and running his record to 5-0.

Fantasy flops: Trimming margins

Jermaine Dye of the White Sox is just one of many South Side sluggers currently slumping at the plate (I could have alliterated more, but you get the point). Dye is mired in a 1-for-20 funk, a downturn in performance during which he struck out 10 times. It should be noted that his lone hit was a solo home run that may have impacted your head-to-head results, but it's a significant slowdown from his hot start.

The Yankees designated Ian Kennedy for assignment following his latest outing. Kennedy failed to survive the fifth inning for the fourth time in six starts on Saturday when he allowed four earned runs on five hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. In fact, Kennedy's season ERA dropped in that outing, a true show of his early-season struggles. Kennedy struggled mightily with his control in six Yankees starts, surrendering 20 walks in his 23 2/3 innings. Darrell Rasner was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and allowed two earned runs in six innings against the Mariners.

Brian Bannister of the Royals has lost three straight decisions, and two of those outings were not pretty. In those three starts, Bannister allowed 14 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings (8.59 ERA) on 20 hits.

It wasn't a diatribe comparable to that of Ozzie Guillen across town, but Cubs manager Lou Piniella was very direct in his comments about Rich Hill's struggles. Hill battled control issues once again during his start against the Cardinals, allowing four walks in two-thirds of an inning before getting yanked and subsequently demoted. Until he starts throwing strikes (he fanned nearly three hitters per walk in 2007), we may not see Hill resurface in Chicago for a while.

Eric Byrnes of the Diamondbacks is flailing at the plate of late. In his past nine games, the energetic Byrnes is batting an anemic .132 (5-for-38) with a single RBI. He's also struck out in nearly one-third of those at-bats.

Ken Griffey, Jr. of the Reds is scuffling terribly of late. The future Hall of Famer has produced a single home run and two RBI in his past 12 games while batting .167 (7-for-42). Griffey has also struck out 11 times during this period.

Yankee Jason Giambi has registered just one hit in his past 21 at-bats (.048). To his credit, Giambi has driven in four runs, but the Yankees will need more consistent production to keep pace in the AL East.

Evan Longoria made a big splash upon joining the Rays. How else can you describe signing a huge extension just after being recalled to the parent club? Longoria has struggled at the plate this past week, batting .174 (4-for-23) with one RBI while striking out seven times. Be patient. It'll take a little time, but Longoria will find the stroke.

Category kings: Who's riding high?

Each week, I'll break down my top performers in each of the standard categories. It won't be a simple regurgitation of the sortable stats. Rather, it'll take into account historical performance, current trends and expected returns. The season-opening ranks reflect my projections put forth in columns during the past month.

Injury updates

The Detroit Free Press reports lefty Dontrelle Willis was recalled by the Tigers this weekend following a rehabilitation outing that was cut short because of the recurrence of pain in his injured right knee while fielding a groundball. Willis allowed four hits and two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings and exhibited better control (i.e., he did not issue a walk). The team will monitor Willis during the next several days and he'll attempt to throw toward the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised to see him returned to Triple-A for another start or two before rejoining the Detroit rotation, but we'll monitor the situation.

Outfielder Brandon Moss of the Red Sox was placed on the disabled list after undergoing an appendectomy on Saturday night. The Boston Globe reports that pitcher Craig Hansen was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to start Monday's series opener against the Tigers. Hansen pitched to a brilliant 1.62 ERA in 16 2/3 innings before his recall.

The Star Tribune reports Scott Baker will have an MRI on his strained groin muscle on Monday. Baker left Saturday's start against Detroit after three innings when he aggravated an injury originally sustained against the Rangers.

Aramis Ramirez of the Cubs missed two games of the St. Louis series after being hit in the wrist during Friday's series opener. The Chicago Tribune reports Ramirez experienced difficulty gripping a bat and will need to be reevaluated. Mark DeRosa has started at third base in Ramirez's absence.

The Los Angeles Times reports Angels starter Dustin Moseley was placed on the disabled list with forearm tightness. Moseley pitched to a record of 1-3 with a bloated 7.85 ERA in seven appearances this season.

John Bale of the Royals trumps Alfonso Soriano for the worst injury of the year after breaking his throwing hand by punching a door at the team hotel, per The Kansas City Star . Bale has been on the disabled list with a shoulder injury (fatigue) and was expected to return to the staff early this week. He'll be sidelined for several more weeks.

The Washington Post reports Nationals closer Chad Cordero will miss at least the next six weeks with a torn lat muscle, leaving the gigantic Jon Rauch to continue in the closer role. Rauch has converted seven of his first nine save opportunities for Washington.

The Giants might welcome veteran shortstop Omar Vizquel back to the lineup before long. Vizquel is in the final stages of his rehabilitation from knee surgery, playing in minor league games with significant conditioning work. The San Francisco Chronicle reports no timetable has been put on his return, but that barring a setback, Vizquel could rejoin the team within two weeks.

While news on Vizquel is positive, young hurler Noah Lowry has been shut down for several weeks because of a lingering "tingling" sensation in his arm. The lefty has yet to pitch this season, and this revelation is certainly disconcerting.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Jimmy Rollins has begun a minor league rehabilitation assignment as he returns from an ankle injury. Team officials have stated that they'd like Rollins to get three or four games under his belt before rejoining the team. Barring a setback, Rollins could return to the Phillies toward the middle of the week.

Third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees is on the disabled list with a grade two quadriceps strain. His attempt to push through the pain may force him to spend longer than the required 15 days on the list. Morgan Ensberg and Alberto Gonzalez will continue to split time at third base in Rodriguez's absence, per The New York Times .

Draft-day hero Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers might miss the remainder of the season after tearing his right ACL. He was injured in a collision with Reed Johnson on Thursday, and it was originally dismissed as a bruise. An MRI later revealed the tear. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports a determination on surgery will be made next week. Fantasy owners who bet the farm on Gallardo based on his 2007 brilliance are holding their heads in their hands.

Keep an eye on the pages of FOXSports.com for all the latest player and team news.