GM refutes Howard report: Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. on Sunday disputed a report that stated the decision to give first baseman Ryan Howard a cortisone shot might have contributed to the torn Achilles tendon he suffered at the end of last season, The Sports Xchange reports. A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday raised the possibility that the cortisone shot Howard received in his left heel last September might have weakened the Achilles in that leg, which Howard tore while making the last out of the NLDS against St. Louis. "We didn't feel like there was any issue," he said. "We were very comfortable moving forward. ... We don't feel one thing had anything to do with the other." (Updated 05/20/2012)
Injury Report
Achilles - 15-day DL. Out until at least late June (Updated - 5/22/12)
Fantasy Analysis
Amaro admitted that the team is concerned in part about the fact that Howard had a setback in his recovery earlier this season. Howard, who hit .253 with 33 homers and 116 RBI last season, has yet to play this year. Amaro said Howard is currently hitting, taking groundballs and starting to do his running progression. "He's improved and that's a good sign," he said. Amaro said he also found it "a little troublesome" that the story contained "an insinuation that maybe the organization didn't have the best interests of the player at hand. That's not true at all. ... We certainly do have the player's best interests at hand, short-term and long-term." Fantasy owners should continue to follow the story and keep Howard reserved in deeper formats as could return to the team sometime in June. (Updated 05/20/2012).
04/03/2012 16:24 Hit Parade for Week 1
How are lineups shaping up post-spring? Our Scott White goes position by position looking for hidden gems and busts for the opening week in his initial edition of Hit Parade.
04/03/2012 10:36 Setting the Trends: Quality adds to be had
Who are owners scooping up off the waiver wire in advance of opening day? Our Nando Di Fino takes a look at some early roster trends and shares his take on who to add and avoid in Setting the Trends.
04/02/2012 16:38 In the NL Central, Votto is the first baseman who's staying
Albert Pujols left the National League Central. So did Prince Fielder. But now Joey Votto has agreed to a deal to stay with the Reds. That's good for Votto, good for the Reds, and bad for any team hoping to sign a star first baseman.
Fantasy owners will need to approach Ryan Howard with extreme caution in 2012. Of course, that much is probably obvious after the 32-year-old slugger suffered a torn left Achilles' tendon on the team's final play of the 2011 season and underwent surgery a few days later. But given his apparent decline, the caution would have been necessary even if Howard had finished the year at 100 percent. In the past, you could put up with his shortcomings because of his ability to deliver 45-plus homers, as he did every year from 2006 to 2009, but in the last two years he hasn't even reached 35. Now, he has to fight an uphill battle just to reach that reduced standard. The initial timetable called for him to miss five or six months, meaning he would return midway through April, but after needing a second surgery this spring to clean up an infection, he might not be back until June. A 30-homer season isn't so easy to find that you can afford to let Howard slip to the middle rounds on Draft Day, but at the same time, you have to recognize that he comes with even more risk than aging players like Paul Konerko and Lance Berkman and, therefore, deserves to go off the board closer to the Ike Davis-Freddie Freeman range of first basemen. (Updated 3/25/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
