Polanco picks up two hits in return: Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco returned to the starting lineup Monday against the Nationals after missing four straight starts with an ankle injury. Polanco didn't miss a beat as he went 2 for 4 in the game with a walk. Polanco is batting .286 for the year. (Updated 05/21/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/23/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Polanco entered Monday batting .351 in his last 11 games and .342 since April 25, but he has just one homer and seven RBI in his last 21 games. He's a good contact hitter, but Polanco remains just a low-end Fantasy option because he doesn't have a lot of pop for a corner infielder. (Updated 05/21/2012).
05/22/2012 21:55 Nats move into first place in NL East
Jordan Zimmerman pitched six solid innings, and Ian Desmond and Rick Ankiel homered to lead the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
05/21/2012 22:06 Gonzalez K's 9 in Nationals' victory
Gio Gonzalez allowed three hits over six innings and Ian Desmond homered and drove in both runs to lead the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.
05/20/2012 19:47 Hit Parade for Week 8
Some catchers have been bitten by the injury bug in recent days, leaving some owners scrambling. Our Scott White shares some recommendations and helps set your lineups for Week 8 in his Hit Parade.
05/20/2012 13:40 3 to Watch: The Rivalry, what rivalry? edition
The Nationals desperately want to have a rivalry with the Phillies. The Phillies don't see it the same way. 3 to Watch says it's not a rivalry yet, but that this week's series at Citizens Bank Park could help one develop.
05/15/2012 03:13 The Lineup: Red Sox on a roll, Braves have a case of the Mondays
Red Sox lefty Jon Lester threw his first nine-inning complete game since 2010 as Boston has put together a four-game winning streak. In Atlanta, the Braves dropped to 0-6 on Mondays this season.
If you stopped playing Fantasy Baseball last April, you probably still consider Placido Polanco something of a secret weapon at third base. Hey, he went from forgotten man to must-start option in the season's opening month, hitting .398. Of course, if you stopped playing Fantasy Baseball last April, you also missed the .243 batting average the rest of the way, the bulging disc, the back injections, the sore hip, the sports hernia and everything else that would have reminded you he's 36 years old. In the end, Polanco finished with a career-low OPS (.674), which is no small feat for a career-long slap-hitter. He did rebound to a degree at the end of the season, hitting .282 over his final 33 games, but at that point, he had already slid far enough down the batting order that he could no longer rely on his teammates to pad his totals. The Phillies are no longer counting on Polanco as an everyday player, having acquired Ty Wigginton to spell him during the season. Polanco has always lacked power and speed. Now that the at-bats will be in short supply as well, he's strictly an NL-only option. (Updated 1/25/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
