Shane Victorino (back) not in Friday's lineup - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino (back) is not in Friday's lineup against the Twins.

Shane Victorino Dealing With Back Woes

Source: RotoRob by RotoRob

Shane Victorino never had problems with his back until…

Heading into the season, we expected Shane Victorino to be among the top 40 in our 2013 Outfield Rankings, however, back woes that have limited him to 120 at-bats have made it difficult for him to live up to that billing. Through a month and a half, he’s probably been a top 65 outfielder.

Victorino’s back issue cropped up last month, causing him to miss several games and nearly landing him on the DL.

A few days after his return in May he started to heat up, recording four multi-hit efforts in a five-game span to jack his BA up to

Fantasy baseball Injury Report: Granderson reactivated

Source: SI.com

In the last week, we've seen our fair share of injuries, as J.A. Happ was nailed in the head with a line drive and both Bryce Harper and Shane Victorino had nasty run-ins with the outfield wall. But there's been some good news, as several players who started the year on the DL or hit the DL early are being reactivated this week. (If you own Derek Jeter, sorry. Check back after the All-Star break.) Here's the latest on some of the biggest returning players, plus a look at those who went down this week.

Victorino (ribs) back in Tuesday's lineup - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino (ribs) is back in Tuesday's lineup against the Rays.

Fantasy do-over: Auditing results from an in-season experts draft

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

At the risk of tearing down the entire "fantasy expert" scam, we begin today with an admission: Occasionally, fantasy gurus get stuff wrong.

It's rare, but it happens. Back in March, it's possible that some of us led you to believe Roy Halladay was salvageable and that Adam Dunn was not terrible at baseball. We apologize for these misunderstandings.

With six weeks of MLB data in the books, it's time to reassess the player pool. We've assembled a group of 10 experts for an in-season baseball draft. The league settings are fairly standard: 5x5, mixed player pool, CI & MI, head-to-head, weekly lineups. Nothing too exotic.

[You can still own Paul Goldschmidt! It's not too late! Sign-up today for

Victorino cleared to play on Tuesday vs. Rays - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino (ribs) has been cleared to return to the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday against the Rays.

Shane Victorino: Wall Collision

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Shane Victorino: Victorino will have his ribs and back examined Sunday after he collided with the wall earlier in the loss to the Blue Jays, WEEI.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Shuffle Up: Carlos Gomez, the real deal

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When it comes to fake baseball, the outfield is where the fun is. The first couple of rounds will always include some of these stat-grabbing giants, and yet the waiver wire in an average mixer consistently offers something for the discerning shopper. Add it all up and there's a lot to digest.

The prices you see in this piece are roughly how I rank the roto-eligible outfielders going forward. What we've seen to this point is merely an audition; if you want a list of the top players to this point, there are plenty of places you can access that.

Don't obsess over the prices in a vacuum: what really matters is how the players relate to one another. Assume a 5x5 scoring format, as always, and players at the same price

Shuffle Up: Carlos Gomez, the read deal

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When it comes to fake baseball, the outfield is where the fun is. The first couple of rounds will always include some of these stat-grabbing giants, and yet the waiver wire in an average mixer consistently offers something for the discerning shopper. Add it all up and there's a lot to digest.

The prices you see in this piece are roughly how I rank the roto-eligible outfielders going forward. What we've seen to this point is merely an audition; if you want a list of the top players to this point, there are plenty of places you can access that.

Don't obsess over the prices in a vacuum: what really matters is how the players relate to one another. Assume a 5x5 scoring format, as always, and players at the same price

Draft Day Challenge, May 9

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

I’ve partnered with DraftDay.com to give all my wonderful followers, that’s you, the chance to play the game on a daily basis. I’ll be giving you some insight into the mind of The Oracle as I will give you some of my best plays for the day – even if I’m willing to admit that daily games are a

Shane Victorino returns to lineup Friday - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino is back in the Red Sox' lineup Friday.

Victorino (back) on track to return Friday - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino (back) is on track to return to the starting lineup Friday.

Sox will make decision on Victorino Thursday - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

The Red Sox will make a decision on Thursday whether or not to place Shane Victorino (back) on the disabled list.

Shane Victorino (back) out again Tuesday - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino (back) is out of the Red Sox starting lineup again on Tuesday night.

Shane Victorino (back) could need DL stint - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

It's possible Shane Victorino (back) will require a stint on the disabled list.

Shane Victorino: (Back) Out Again Friday

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Shane Victorino: Victorino (back) is not in the lineup Friday, but manager John Farrell said the issue is not to the point of requiring a DL stint, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Victorino (back) not in Red Sox lineup Thurs. - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino (back) is not in the Red Sox starting lineup on Thursday night against the Astros.

Shane Victorino's removal was 'precautionary' - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Red Sox manager John Farrell said Shane Victorino's was removed from Wednesday's game after he aggravated his back injury due to "precautionary reasons."

Shane Victorino removed after tweaking back - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino left Wednesday's game after apparently aggravating his lower back injury.

Shane Victorino: Exits With Possible Back Aggravation

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Shane Victorino: Victorino was lifted from the game in the top of seventh inning Thursday with a possible aggravation to his lower back injury, CSNNE.com reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Shane Victorino pulled after tweaking back - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino left Wednesday's game after apparently aggravating his lower back injury.

Victorino (back) in Red Sox lineup on Monday - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino is back in the Red Sox starting lineup on Monday night against the Athletics.

Victorino exits game Saturday with tight back - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Shane Victorino left Saturday's game against the Royals because of tightness in his lower back.

Around the League - Fantasy Baseball Update 4/4

Source: Fake Teams by Kevin Nielsen

New York Yankees

Hiroki Kuroda tried to catch Shane Victorino's line drive last night, resulting in him leaving the game with pain in his right middle finger. X-rays were negative and Kuroda shouldn't miss any time. Phil Hughes should make his first start of the season for the Yankees on April 11th at Cleveland. Ty Hensley, the Yankees 2012 1st Round Pick, will miss 2-3 months with a hip injury. There isn't an exact timetable for Derek Jeter's return to the Yankees but I have a feeling he won't be back until at least

Shuffle Up: Choose your sophomore, Mike Trout vs. Bryce Harper

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The outfield is the fun place to go shopping in fantasy baseball. Power, sure, you'll find it here. Plenty of guys run. A few players do everything. And the two most exciting young position players in the game happen to reside here, too. Everyone likes picking out their outfield.

The goal today is to rank all the mixed-league worthy outfielders going forward in 5x5 fantasy value, 2013 only. Don't read too much into the dollar values in a vacuum - they're merely used as a tool to compare players. And when commodities share the same price, they're considered even. (Players on the DL and minor-league prospects are not eligible for ranking.)

I reserve the right to tweak this list as the day goes along,

Fantasy Baseball: Top Outfielders – 16 to 30

Source: Fantasy Baseball Dugout by BeeZee

You may not have the opportunity to draft all of your outfielders in your fantasy baseball money league or your free fantasy league in the early rounds. So use this list to help you decide who else to pick in your draft.

16. Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals

Holliday has seven straight 20-HR seasons and a career BA of .313. He turned 33 in January.

17. B.J. Upton, Atlanta Braves

Upton has five straight 30-steal seasons and 51 HR over the last two years. But  his.246 BA was highest in last four seasons.  Career .336 OBP, .422 SLG at home, .335 OBP, .422 SLG on

Shane Victorino: (Wrist) MRI Comes Back Clean

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Shane Victorino: Victorino underwent an MRI on his right wrist Tuesday, which came back clean, the Boston Herald reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose and an abundance of Astros

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total in the league, but his ratios were merely adequate.

Fortunately for Lanigan, he also spent $24 on right-hander

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose, and an abundance of Astros

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total in the league, but his ratios were merely adequate.

Fortunately for Lanigan, he also spent $24 on right-hander

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose, and more

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total

A.L. Tout Wars recap: Pedroia, Longoria, Mo, Moose and more

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

First, some history: Back in 1887, at the inaugural Tout Wars auction (held at an opium parlor, now defunct), the first player nominated was Pretzels Getzien, staff ace of the Detroit Wolverines. Pretzels was coming off a 30-11 season. He went for $13, sold to Ernie Lanigan of the nascent Sporting News. It wasn't a great buy, but tolerable. Getzien won 29 games in '87, third highest total

What’s In My Wallet, 2013: Up Goes Todd Frazier

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The first thing to know about this exercise is that it's mostly out of context. I'm in a bunch of leagues every year (too many, really, but it's a labor of love) and they come from all angles. Mixed leagues. Mono leagues. Keeper leagues (well, one). Redraft leagues. Drafts and auctions, with the player-penetration level constantly changing.

At this time of year I like to look back (though I'm not done drafting) and see what players I've landed more than once. Repeated ownership generally means I like a player, at least more than my opponents do - but it's obviously a lot more complicated than that. And sometimes I find myself missing on players I actually do like a lot because of circumstances I can't really control (I only have

Cactus Juice: Dodgers play waiting game with Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When it comes to buzzy names and bloated paychecks, the Dodgers have few rivals in major league baseball. There are major fantasy options all over the Glendale diamond; this is a roster we have to take seriously.

Alas, aches and pains are part of this L.A. Story, too – especially in the outfield.

Left fielder Carl Crawford is coming off Tommy John surgery and it's not a guarantee he'll be ready for the opening of the season. Crawford suffered a "minor setback" this week, stiffness in his left forearm, and he was limited in his Thursday workout. Here's more from

2013 Rankings: Outfielders

Source: Fantasy Baseball 365

You can find a bit of everything in the outfield. There are players who contribute across the board, and others who make waves in single categories. There are established veterans with lengthy track records, and young players on the cusp of becoming superstars. Oh, and the position is also home to two players who are going one and two overall in many fantasy drafts.

Rank First Name Last

Mock Draft: Talking Pitching Early

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

In fantasy baseball circles I’m known as the ‘anti-pitcher’ guy. I tell people all the time that in re-draft leagues there is no reason to take a pitcher at the top of a draft, and I practice what I preach (see how my staff turned out in the recent FSTA Experts Draft where I waited until the 8th round to take my first hurler). I know though that many others disagree with that line of thought. So for the sake

Pressing Questions: The Boston Red Sox

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

The 2011 Red Sox crash landed in the final frames; chicken and beer seldom break anyone's fall. The 2012 Olde Town Team was a beat-the-traffic special, dead in the water before high tide.

Last year's messy results speak for themselves. Boston finished dead last in the AL East (69-93), its first basement tape since 1992. The offense didn't score (734 runs, worst showing in two decades), the pitchers couldn't get people out (4.72 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 190 homers allowed), and too many players couldn't stay healthy. If you came to Fenway Park in the summer, you were there for the park, the atmosphere or the opponent. (I attended one game and spent three innings in the concession area talking Fantasy Football with my buddy Cuozzo.

Jonny Gomes (DH/OF-BOS)

Source: TG Fantasy Baseball

Nava, Kalish look to earn significant playing time. With the offseason quickly fading, the Red Sox have brought in outfielders Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino to replace Carl Crawford and Cody Ross. Victorino should play every day in right, but thatand#39;s not the case for Gomes in front of the Green Monster, leaving in-house options Ryan Kalish and Daniel Nava with a real opportunity heading into Spring Training. Source: http://mlb.mlb.com

Pressing Questions: The Kansas City Royals

Source: Roto Arcade by Brad Evans

Controversial, lopsided trades are a staple in baseball. Over the years, numerous unbalanced swaps have occurred, leaving fanbases both perplexed and pissed. Pittsburgh’s shipping of Jose Bautista to Toronto for ‘iconic’ catcher Robinzon Diaz back in 2008 immediately comes to mind.

Soon, Royals GM Dayton Moore’s December shipping of uber-prospect Wil Myers to Tampa, along with pitchers Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi and Patrick Leonard, in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis may be viewed with similar bewilderment.

Myers, the organization’s 2012 Minor League Player

Shane Victorino (OF-BOS)

Source: TG Fantasy Baseball

Inside the Phillies: Lack of big moves pointing to 2013 as a transition year for Phillies - Hours after dealing away two-thirds of his starting outfield, Ruben Amaro Jr. emerged in the visitors dugout at Nationals Park and sat on the bench. He used the word flexibility four times that July afternoon, stressing the trades of Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino offered a chance to remake the Phillies outfield. Source: http://www.philly.com

Player Profile: Justin Upton

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

I just finished eating a bologna sandwich. Probably not the best thing I could have put in my mouth but my pork shoulder is currently doing it’s thing in my oven so it wasn’t quite ready to consume. The reason I bring that up is that we can all agree that a hunk of pork shoulder is a better meal than a slab of bologna on a couple of pieces of white bread. Somehow though the Diamondbacks front office has convinced itself that Justin Upton is a piece of bologna and not something that

BoSox finalize three-year deal with Victorino - Shane Victorino | BOS

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

Red Sox signed OF Shane Victorino to a three-year, $39 million contract.

Winter Meetings Wrap Up

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

There were plenty of big names thrown around town, chief among them Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke, but in the end there were no earth shattering moves at the Baseball Winter Meetings. There were a handful of moves involving useful players however, so let’s take a moment to wrap up the meetings, and the week, by looking at some of that movement.

Joe Blanton, who I’ll have a write up on in the coming days, signed a two year, $15 million

Player Profile: Shane Victorino

Source: Baseball Guys by Ray Flowers

shane victorino' pictures via Wylio" href="http://www.wylio.com/credits/flickr/3541461590">

I’ve always been a fan of the Flyin’ Hawaiian. Shane Victorino has long been one of those players who doesn’t hurt you in any of the five fantasy categories. He’s also one of the rare players that usually offers something positive in each of the five categories. The Red Sox realized how valuable a performer that Victorino is as they lavished on him a three year deal worth $39 million to be an everyday member of their club. Coming off his worst full season we have to assess

Red Sox freeze out fantasy profits for Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli

Source: KFFL.com MLB

Did Boston show others teams who's "Boss" in signing these two? How should fantasy owners value the Sawx's latest haul?

Shane Victorino: Gets Three-Year Deal with Red Sox

Source: RotoWire.com MLB

Shane Victorino: Victorino has agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract with the Red Sox, Sean McAdam of CSN New England reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Red Sox reach three-year deal with Victorino - Shane Victorino | LA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

According to WEEI's Alex Speier, the Red Sox have agreed to a three-year deal with Shane Victorino.

Red Sox getting close to deal with Victorino - Shane Victorino | LA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

According to ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes, the Red Sox are "getting close" to signing Shane Victorino.

Red Sox currently in lead for Shane Victorino - Shane Victorino | LA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

According to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox are in the lead for Shane Victorino.

Victorino bidding down to final three teams - Shane Victorino | LA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the bidding for Shane Victorino is down to the Indians, Red Sox and a third unidentified team.

Victorino bidding down to three teams - Shane Victorino | LA

Source: Rotoworld Baseball

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the bidding for Shane Victorino is down to the Indians, Red Sox and a third unidentified team.