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Alejandro De Aza is batting .296 in ten games since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte. He has scored four runs, hit one home run, collected two RBI, and stole two bases. Is the speedster worth a slot on your fantasy roster?
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Well, he is getting plenty of playing time thanks to Alex Rios’ struggles.  He has played both center field and right field for the White Sox. Considering he has faced off against the Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, and Twins, I’d say he’s off to a pretty good start too.
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De Aza was batting .322 for Triple-A Charlotte prior to the recall. He had 124 hits in 385 at bats with 64 runs, 29 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 37 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. While those aren’t elite numbers at the Triple-A level, they do illustrate his ability to get on base and do some damage on the basepaths.
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In his cup of coffee last year De Aza hit .300 for the White Sox with seven runs, two RBI, and two stolen bases in 30 at bats. Prior to that call-up he hit .302 with 53 runs, five home runs, 49 RBI, and 16 stolen bases in 318 at bats.
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Alejandro is not a must own by any stretch of the imagination, but if you are looking for a little speed out of the outfield position, he could help your club while providing a boost in runs and average.
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Also check out:

• Hiroki Kuroda: Proof That Wins Aren’t Everything
• Can Josh Willingham Finish Strong?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Run Scorers Vol. 8
• Can Doug Fister Produce For Detroit?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Speed Demons Vol. 8

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Mark Buehrle is 6-5 with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Elite pitchers strike out about a batter an inning. Buerhle strikes out about a batter every two. Does he still have fantasy value?
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Obviously his ERA can help fantasy teams, plus his WHIP is solid. He is a good bet to reach double-digit wins for the 11th straight year. Plus, he’s been red hot for the past three months.
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Buehrle started off a little (OK, a lot) shaky going 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. He started to turn it around in May going 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA. He followed it up going 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA. He’s been at his best in July as he’s gone without a decision, but sports a 1.80 ERA for the month. His batting average against (BAA) has decreased from .292 in May to .262 in June and .208 in July.
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Aside from improved BAA, his walks per nine innings have improved as well going from 2.33 in April to 2.31 in May to 1.67 in June to 1.20 in July. The combination of getting more outs and throwing fewer walks has allowed his WHIP to dip to 1.18 for June and 0.87 in July. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) has been .265 and .233 in June and July respectively.
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So should you use Buehrle blindly? No. He is much better at home (4-1, 2.47 ERA) than on the road (2-4, 4.42). With the exception of the Minnesota Twins, who he has historically pitched well against, he has struggled against the AL Central.
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Buehrle is not a sexy pick, but he still has some left in the tank. He’s obviously not a staple of your fantasy rotation, but he does have some value.
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Agree or disagree?
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Also check out:

• Can Chris Capuano Keep Rolling?
• Two-Start Pitchers Week 16
• Can You Rely On Alcides Escobar?
• Can Danny Valencia Finish Strong?
• Who Are the Best Players to Own After the All-Star Break?

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Edwin Jackson is 4-6 with a 4.47 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 73 strikeouts in 86-2/3 innings. While those aren’t numbers that are going to push you over the top, they aren’t going to hurt you much either. That is until you look at his WHIP.
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Jackson has a WHIP of 1.52, which can be devastating to your team in that category. Even when he threw a no-hitter last year, he still had a 0.89 WHIP in the game thanks to eight walks.
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Jackson averages 3.1 walks per nine innings, which is up from the 2.6 mark he set last year. It is, however, better than the 3.9 career mark he had entering this year.
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After going 2-3 with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP in April, Jackson has settled down to go 2-3 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in May and June. He averaged 4.3 BB/9 in April and has the mark down to 2.3 for May and June.
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Just because Edwin has turned things around doesn’t mean you should blindly use him. His home/road splits are a telling sign. On the road he’s 2-4 with a 6.07 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. At U.S. Cellular he’s 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Sure, the WHIP is still high, but it is acceptable considering the low ERA he posts.
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You should also sit him when he faces a top offense. He has a 9.00 ERA against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Rangers. Against all other teams he has a 3.44 ERA. If the match-up is right or he’s pitching at home, don’t be afraid to trot Edwin out there (assuming you can afford the bump to your WHIP). When he’s on the road or facing superior competition, the alarms in your head should be going off.
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Also check out:

• Stealing a Fantasy Baseball Championship: Five Under the Radar Players
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 RBI Guys Vol. 5
• Can Brian Duensing Get on Track?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Strikeout Kings Vol. 5
• Is Nick Swisher Safe to Use Again?

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In ten starts this year John Danks has yet to pick up a win while sporting a bloated 1.45 WHIP. Not exactly what everybody expected from him this year. Not after three consecutive double-digit win/sub 4.00 ERA seasons.
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Can he get back on track?
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Considering he’s not all the way off the track, I say yes. The lack of a single win stings, and while the WHIP is high it’s not a death blow to fantasy teams. Nor is his 4.34 ERA. His strikeouts per nine innings is slightly down at 6.1, but his lifetime mark is just 6.9 so he hasn’t went in the tank.
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Consistency has been an issue. He has given up four or more runs in 40 percent of his starts.  Every other start in his past six have been one of those bad starts. With Toronto on the horizon, I’m afraid he’s going to make that four of seven. While I would not start him against the Jays on Sunday, I wouldn’t write him off either.
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Danks has been unlucky, and not just because he’s winless despite an ERA slightly north of 4.00. Not just because his team scored two or fewer runs in six of ten starts. Naturally both of those factors come into play, but he also has a .308 BABIP.  Last year it was .274, in 2009 in was .267, and in 2008 it was .293.
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Considering he was one of the steadiest pitchers over the past three years, I would expect his BABIP to come down. His double-digit win streak is in serious jeopardy, but he should have some nice moments ahead.
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His combined career record for June and July is 18-10 with a 3.78 ERA. The rest of the months he is 28-41 with a 4.09 ERA.
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Use Danks as a streamer when the match-up is right. You should still get some quality starts from him.
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Also check out:

• Should You Buy Low on Carlos Santana?
• Can Alex Rios Turn It Around?
• Should You Buy Low on Chris Carpenter?
• Can Kyle McClellan Continue to Shine?
• Is Ian Kinsler a Good Trade Target?

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When Alex Rios hit .163 in April the panic button looked tempting. Now we’re approaching Memorial Day and his average stands at .210. What’s worse, the player that hit 21 home runs with 34 stolen bases has just four of each this year.
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Not only is panic setting in, its cousin anger is tagging along. Rios was supposed to be one of the top outfield choices this year and he’s on pace for a .210- 81-13-42-13 campaign. Yikes. Before you begin to craft your hate mail, I urge you to settle down.
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Rios was terrible that first month. Brutal actually. That kind of hole takes time to dig out of. He’s not setting the world ablaze, but he is hitting .269 in May. That’s more than a 100 point improvement. Three of his home runs have come this month as well, helping his OPS improve by .261.
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Alex struggled mightily in 2009, which helped him land in Chicago in the first place. He hit .247 that year with 63 runs, 17 HRs, 71 RBI, and 24 SBs. His BABIP had always been .309 or better, but it dipped to .273 that year. Maybe he just struggled with the adjustment. Maybe getting put on waivers bruised his ego. Maybe he just went into a shell after his altercation with a fan was caught on videotape.
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Whatever the reason, Rios bounced back last year. His BABIP (.306) came along for the ride.
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It’s way down this year. I’m talking way, way down for a guy with his speed. It is .219 to be exact. He’s usually around 100 points higher. Will he bounce back to .300? Unlikely. Not after 50 games are in the books. He could, however, have a .300 BABIP from here on out. July (.297 average, .799 OPS) has historically been his second best month behind May (.297 average, .850 OPS). Of course August and September are his two worst months so the struggles could continue, but maybe he got them out of the way early this year.
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Whatever the case, Rios is trending in the right direction and the odds of improved luck are in his favor. It’s a good time to try to buy low on him. If you already have him, it’s a good time to hold (unless you get a Godfather type offer that you can’t refuse). That way you get to reap the benefits of the rebound rather than your competition.
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Also check out:

• Should You Buy Low on Chris Carpenter?
• Can Kyle McClellan Continue to Shine?
• Is Ian Kinsler a Good Trade Target?
• Can Dan Uggla Turn Around His Ugly Season?
• Should You Buy Low on Andrew McCutchen?