by Tim Piotrowski, KFFL

KFFL: Over a dozen expert league championships — a proven source of player news and fantasy content.

Updated: May 13, 2008, 1:50 PM EST Comment

add this RSS blog email print

Furcal was putting up some very good numbers before suffering the injury, which he compared to the soreness he suffered from last September that forced him to miss 12 contests. He's hitting .366 with five home runs, 16 RBI and eight stolen bases in 32 games. He's also walked 19 times and struck out on 15 occasions. He's been bothered by this injury for the last week and has missed the last five games. He'll likely be able to come back May 21, because the move is retroactive.

Last season, he had a solid season, but several of his statistics went down from his 2006 campaign. In 138 games, he hit .270 with six home runs, 47 RBI and 25 stolen bases. In addition to his nagging back, he battled through an ankle injury last season, but didn't miss any significant time. He's played in at least 154 games in four of the last six seasons.

From a fantasy perspective, owners should put Furcal on a disabled list spot. The speedster's shown an increase in power, which is a bonus for his owners. He's a top-10 fantasy shortstop and should be held onto in all leagues. With him on the sidelines, Juan Pierre likely will continue to hit leadoff when he's in the lineup.

The likely replacement at shortstop is infielder Chin-Lung Hu, the Dodgers' No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America. He's played in the last five games while Furcal's been sitting out, but mostly has been a reserve at both shortstop and second base. A career .299 hitter in the minor leagues entering 2008, Hu's had some difficulties at the plate so far this season, hitting .208 with five RBI and one stolen base in 27 games. In his short stint last season with the Dodgers, he hit .241 with two home runs and five RBI in 12 games. He's seen most of his at-bats as the No. 8 hitter in the lineup. For owners looking for a short-term option, he'd be worth a pickup, especially in NL-only formats.

To fill Furcal's roster spot, the Dodgers recalled infielder Luis Maza. In 33 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, Maza's hitting .402 with one home run, 15 RBI and a stolen base. The 27-year-old's never played a game in the majors and isn't worthy of a pickup in any league for now.