Davis was only batting .196 with 26 home runs and 173 Ks for the year, although he had been a little better as of late. The suspension will cost the 28-year old the rest of the regular season and then the first eight games of the playoffs, assuming Baltimore gets that far. The Orioles, who have a ten game lead in the American League East, are virtually guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and still have a chance to catch the Angels for the best record in the American League.

But they will have to do so without Davis. Further complicating the suspension is that Davis had recently shifted over to third base to replace the injured Manny Machado, with Steve Pearce, who’s enjoying a breakout season at age 31, manning first for the Birds.

Kelly Johnson, who’s struggled in 2014, will likely be inserted into the lineup at third now that Davis isn’t available.

The Orioles still have plenty of power — thanks to Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones — and Davis’s glove wasn’t really an ideal fit at the hot corner. So it’s possible the team doesn’t miss a beat, especially if Pearce can continue to hit and Johnson can be useful.

But if they do make a deep postseason run it will be without Machado, Matt Wieters, who’s also out for the year with an injury, and now Davis. Something few would have thought possible going into the season, especially considering their division.

In a statement, Davis apologized for the suspension, saying he had an Adderral exemption last year, but not this year:

“I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Orioles organization and especially the fans. I made a mistake by taking Adderall. I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) this year. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately.”

Other players who have been suspended for Adderral– which isn’t deemed as serious as other PED use (hence the 25 game vs. 50 game ban) — include Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz.

After the game, Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said the 22-year old’s condition was “a lot more positive than the way it probably looked.”

Well, it’s not that positive today, as the O’s placed Machado on the 15-day disabled list with what is being called a right knee strain.

The Orioles haven’t disclosed how bad a sprain it is — and they may not know at this point. By saying it’s a strain it just rules out a complete tear of the ligament, and Machado could be ultimately be out anywhere from just the 15 days to the entire season.

Machado similarly twisted his left knee running to first base on September 23, 2013 and opted for surgery to prevent further dislocation. According to injury expert Will Carroll, this may suggest there is something genetically off about his knees, and more preventive surgery may be needed.

Machado missed the first month of the 2014 season recovering from that injury and then got off to a slow start. However, he had been hitting .351 since July 1, pushing his .OPS to a respectable 755.

The Orioles are expected to move Chris Davis across the diamond to third in Machado’s absence. Given that Machado is the best fielding third baseman in baseball and Davis is a below-average first baseman who only has 68 career starts at third it’s safe to say Davis is a major defensive downgrade at the hot corner.

To replace Machado on the roster, the Orioles are calling up Cord Phelps. The 27-year old is a .159 career major league hitter who was hitting .258 in Triple-A. Again, not so inspriring.

However, the Orioles have been getting surprising production from surprises places this year. Steve Pearce and Delmon Young we’re talking about you.  Maybe Showalter will also be able to untap the platoon-split beast hiding under Phelps mediocre shell, and the journeyman will be able to help the Birds maintain their 6.5 game lead in the American League East until Machado is able to come back.

The difference now is that a player would have to pass through the waivers before being traded.

Here’s how it works: Iif a player placed on waivers is claimed the waiving team can either arrange a trade with the claiming team, give the player and all of his contractual agreements to the claiming team, or pull the player off waivers and keep him. If a player passes through waivers without being claimed, the team is free to trade him to any team in either league.

Here are ten players who have a good chance of being traded in front of the August 31 postseason deadline.

Bartolo Colon
The 41-year old has been good enough over the last three seasons that he should be of interest to contenders. He’s also slated to make $11 million next year, when he’s 42, suggesting he should be able to make it through the waiver wire. The Orioles would be a likely destination.

Matt Kemp
The Dodgers now say Kemp isn’t available. However, they will surely run him through the waivers and if a team puts a claim on him it’s almost a given that they would just dump Kemp and the remaining five years and $107 million on his contract on them. More likely he makes it through the waivers, and the Dodgers deal Kemp elsewhere with salary relief included.

Jonathan Papelbon
Another guy who’s unwieldy contract makes him a lock to get through waivers. Pap is, however, having his best season in years. Right now there isn’t a contender with clear closer needs. But if that changes over the next month Papelbon is a prime candidate for a new address.

Aaron Hill
Both the Dodgers and Giants could use an upgrade at second base and Hill could be the answer, even though he’s having a rough season. He’ll be making $12 million a year in ’15 and ’16, which will get him through the waiver wire, but might also require the D-backs to include salary in any deal.

Marlon Byrd
Since he’s suddenly become one of the best power hitters in baseball and he makes $8 million a year Byrd is very unlikely to make it through the waivers. However he’s 36, and the Phillies need to get younger so they should certainly try to deal him if he gets claimed. Toronto, who needs outfielders, should pull the trigger if he hasn’t been snatched up before.

A.J. Burnett
The third and last Phillie on the list (Yes, Ryan Howard could be had after the deadline.  But nobody in their right mind is trading for him now.) Burnett’s complicated options for 2015 makes it likely he gets through the waivers. He’s been inconsistent this year, but if he strings a few good starts together he will be targeted. Maybe a return to Pittsburgh?

Justin Morneau
We’re not entirely sure that Morneau could make it through the waviers; he finally seems to be over the concussions that almost derailed his career and he only makes $6.75 in ’15 with a mutual options for $9 million in ’16. But if he were to be claimed, we think the Rockies would try to work out deal.

Ben Zobrist
The versatile Zobrist is back to just being underrated– for a period of time he was mentioned so much as a player who gets overlooked he was no longer really overlooked. He’ll get claimed, thanks to low salary this year and a $7 million team option in ’15. The question becomes, do the Rays deal him. We say yes, if the return is right. Giants and Dodgers would both be very interested.

Daniel Murphy
We’re not quite sure his offense is good enough to offset his poor defense at second — which is why the Mets could be willing to part with Murphy, who is third year arbitration eligible in 2015. But he also hits well enough to see time at first base and DH, and the Blue Jays or Royals would seem like good destinations for the 29-year old.

Josh Willingham
He’s one of the better power hitters around when he’s healthy. However, he doesn’t seem to be in the Twins future, so the ’15 free agent will likely be moved if he is claimed. And he should be claimed. Good fit for the Yankees if they remain in contention.

Others who could get dealt: Alex Rios, Curtis Granderson, Adam Dunn.

The popular slugger was still basking in the afterglow of leading the Red Sox to a World Series win. In fact, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had the second most jersey sales back in April and Sox closer Koji Uehara and 2013 center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury also made the top 20.

Fast forward to midseason, and things are a bit different in the jersey sales race. Ortiz and Pedroia are still in the top five, despite the Red Sox’s struggles. But now it’s a member of the hated Yankees at number one. We run down the top 20 selling jerseys, including their rank at the beginning of the season, below.

20. Yu Darvish Texas Rangers (ranked 19th in April)
The Japanese import sells out on both sides of the Pacific

19. Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants (unranked)
Mr. Cy Young Award has become Mr. No-Hitter. (Although the Giants would probably prefer Mr. Cy Young.

18. Hyun-Jin Ryu Los Angeles Dodgers (unranked)
More proof of the power of the Asian market.

17. Bryce Harper Washington Nationals (12)
Eye black sold separately.

16. Manny Machado Baltimore Orioles (10)
New notoriety has led to a down tick in sales.

15. Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs (unranked)
At least Cubs fans have one thing to cheer about.

14. Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees (unranked)
Injury to their rookie ace could derail the Yankees season and fast.

13. Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners (9)
Power might be gone, but his new team is surprisingly good. Still probably not worth the money.

12. Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves (unranked)
Becoming a legit middle of the order presence, which the Braves really, really need.

11. Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates (6)
Quietly putting up better numbers than he did in his 2013 National League MVP season.

10. Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers (13)
Even in a down year he still rakes.

9. Yasiel Puig Los Angeles Dodgers (11)
When you want to say “I’m exciting and unpredictable and give my manager ulcers.”

8. David Wright New York Mets (8)
“Captain America” remains a bit hit with the jersey buying public.

7. Mike Trout Anaheim Angles (14)
The best player in the world looks like he will win his first MVP in 2014; maybe then he can also top jersey sales by the end of the year.

6. Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals (4)
A Molina jersey will never look right without the corresponding aggressive neck tattoo.

5. Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox (2)
Sox fans aren’t blaming the laser show for their team’s dismal season.

4. David Ortiz Boston Red Sox (1)
Nor have they turned on Big Papi.

3. Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers (5)
23.1 more innings to break Orel Hershisher’s scoreless struck of 59. If you were starting a team would you rather have Trout or Kershaw? Some question don’t have proper answers.

2. Buster Posey San Francisco Giants (7)
Giants fans always support their main man.

1. Derek Jeter New York Yankees (3)
To his credit, the retiring Hall of Famer has been keeping his head above water lately.

Dropped out of the 20: Koji Uehara, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adam Wainwright, Prince Fielder, Matt Harvey,

The first was a bonafide blockbuster. The Cubs sent their two aces, Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the As for Addison Russell, one of the 15 best prospects in the game, Billy McKinney, the team’s second best prospect, and Dan Straily, who was an effective starter in 2013.

Samardzija jumps out as the biggest beneficiary of the trade. Shark had only won two games with the Cubbies, despite his 2.83 ERA. The 29-year old already has one win with the A’s, taking his first start after seven innings of one run ball with 5 Ks on Sunday. Not only does Samardzija go from one of baseball’s worst offenses to the best, but Wrigley Field favors hitters, whereas as O.co Coliseum, with his sprawling foul territory, is a pitchers’ park.

That’s why Hammel, who wasn’t having any problem accumulating wins for the Cubs, also becomes much more of a fantasy asset. It’s been under the radar — maybe because he doesn’t have long hair, Notre Dame football ties and a cool nickname –but Hammel was actually having a better season than Samardzija, even when taking wins out of the equation. Having spent the last six years in hitter’s havens Colorado, Baltimore and Chicago it will be interesting to see what Hammel can do in the spacious Coliseum. If he improves much on his current numbers he’s a front line ace.

Russell and McKinney are still at least a year from the majors and the Cubs plan on keeping Straily at Triple-A for now. He will likely be called up by the end of the season and should be monitored when he is.

In the week’s second significant trade, The Yankees acquired starter Brandon McCarthy from the Diamondbacks for starter Vidal Nuno. McCarthy’s inability to strike batters out has always made him a dodgy fantasy play. He should improve in New York — if only because his 5.01 ERA should regress to his 3.79 FIP. But we really don’t view him as being much better than Nuno, who you probably weren’t considering for your fantasy roster.

Injured first baseman
Tough break for owners of Edwin Encarnacion and Joey Votto as both appear to be headed to the DL today and are expected to miss two-to-four weeks. The truth is, Votto owners aren’t going to have that tough of a time replacing his production. The four-time All-Star hasn’t looked right all year and if you take away his walks — which don’t do much good in fantasy — he’s been a below average fantasy first baseman. Encarnacion, with his 26 homers and 70 RBIs, however, is a pretty substantial blow.

Votto and Encarancion owners should take a hard look at C.J. Cron, who’s first base eligible for the Angels. The 24-year old has nine homers in a 160 plate appearances with a .288 batting average and has been playing every day. He doesn’t have terrific minor league pedigree — although the power is real — and he never walks, so he’s run of good play may not last. Still, he’s available in over 80 percent of Yahoo! leagues and is as good a bet as anyone the free agent first baseman pool to give you production for the next couple of weeks.

Encarnacion’s injury, coupled with Brett Lawrie’s broken index finger,  has also fueled speculation that the Blue Jays will make a deal for Padres third baseman Chase Headley. Headley has struggled all year, but it seems everybody hits once they put on a Blue Jay uniform. If Headley is moved up north, he’s worth a flyer. He just turned 30 and is only two seasons removed from a 31 home run 115 RBI 17 steal season at the notorious Petco Park, where hitters careers go to die. He’s available in 67 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Let’s go through each position and see if the correct player is in the lead to represent his league.

Catcher
Matt Wieters was recently shut down for the season with Tommy John surgery. Which was too bad because, at 28, the Orioles backstop was having the best season of his career and finally fulfilling the promise that had made him the top prospect in baseball five years. Although he won’t play in the game, he still has a pretty good lead in the voting over Brian McCann, who has struggled mightily in his first year in the American League. Derek Norris, who would be our choice even if Wieters was healthy, is in third.  If all was fair, Norris will end up atop the voting. He’ll likely be Wieters’ injury replacement if he isn’t.

First base
Miguel Cabrera is almost a million votes ahead of Jose Abreu here. While the Cuban rookie has been a revelation, this is about right. Because of a slow start, Miggy’s stats aren’t quite where they’ve been during his back-to-back MVPs of 2012 and 2013. However, they are still good enough to represent his league at his natural position, after spending the last couple years at third.

Second Base
We’re thinking Yankee fans aren’t contributing much to Robinson Cano‘s 400,000 vote lead over Ian Kinsler. While the six-time All-Star’s power numbers have declined since leaving the friendly confines of the Bronx this offseason, the rest of his game is still there. Kinsler is also having a really good year in a new home, and he’ll be a fine reserve for the team.

Shortstop
Derek Jeter‘s candidacy isn’t about his current stats, which aren’t particularly good. It’s about putting a legend on the field in his last year. Given that’s a pretty well established tradition, it’s surprising how close Alexei Ramirez is in the voting, trailing by a bit more than 200,000 votes and closing fast. Ramirez, who is having the best year of his career, would certainly deserve the start in a normal year. Maybe Jeter-and-Yankee-backlash will give the Cuban missile the nod in this abnormal one.

Third base
Full marks to voters to giving A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson, previously the most underrated player in baseball, a million vote lead over his closest competitor. It helps that Evan Longoria is having an off-year and Adrian Beltre an injury-plagued one.

Designated Hitter
Tough to argue against vote leader Nelson Cruz, who’s topping the league in homers and RBIs. Victor Martinez, who sits third, would be just about as deserving. David Ortiz, who’s in second, is still good, but may finally be showing signs of age-appropriate decline.

Outfielders
As it stands, Jose Bautista is about 350,00 votes in front of Mike Trout who’s about a million in front of Melky Cabrera. We’re calling Blue Jays shenanigans here not because Bautista doesn’t deserve to start — he does — but because nobody deserves to top Trout, ever. With Melky, whose stats are nothing special, the AL voters have their first real miss.  We’d go with Indians centerfielder Michael Brantley, who is all the way down at seventh despite his breakout year.

Over the last few weeks Chisenhall has put himself on the radar with his unexpectedly good offense, and now leads the American League with his .385 batting average. While the 25-year old’s “once in a lifetime” day on Monday ranks among the best in Major League history, it doesn’t quite crack the top ten. (We’d put him right at 11.) Those incredible games are listed below, with stats expressed box score style (ABs/Runs/Hits/RBIs.)

10. Willie Mays Giants 5/4/4/8, 4 HRs, April 30 1961 vs. Braves
The Hall of Famer had the best game of his career in the Giants 14-4 win over the Braves. His rival for sixties offensive supremacy Hank Aaron also had himself a day, slugging two homers and driving in all four of the Braves runs.

9. Mike Schmidt Phillies 6/4/5/8, 4 HRs, April 17,1976 vs. Cubs
With Steve Carlton and Rick Reuschel on the mound, this one looked to be a pitchers duel. But the Wrigley wind can humble even the sharpest ace, and played a role in Schmidt’s historic game. After a fly out and a single, Schmidt slammed four straight home runs, including a two run shot in the top of the tenth which clinched a 18-16 victory and one of the wildest game’s in MLB history.

8. Fred Lynn Red Sox 6/4/5/10, 3 HRs, 1 3B June 18, 1975 vs. Detroit
In 1975 Fred Lynn would become the first player to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year. Along the way he had one of the finest games in MLB history, smashing three dingers and driving in ten in the Red Sox 15-1 romp of the Tigers. His one out on his incredible day was a hard line drive to the second baseman.

7. Jim Bottomley Cardinals 6/3/6/12, 2 HRs, 1 2b September 16, 1924 vs. Brooklyn
Hall of Famer Jim Bottomley had himself a pretty good month in day, driving in 12 of the 17 runs St. Louis scored in their 17-3 stomping of the Brooklyn Robins.

6. Joe Adcock Braves 5/5/5/7, 4 HRs, 1 2b vs. Brooklyn
The Braves first baseman posted a second-best-ever 18 total bases in Milwaukee’s 15-7 win over the Dodgers. Hall of famer Eddie Matthews also hit two homers in the game.

5. Tony Lazzeri Yankees, 5/5/4/11, 3 HRs, 1 3B, 1BB May 24, 1936 vs. As
Lazzeri was batting eighth when he set the American League record for RBIs in a game during the Bronx Bombers 25-2 destruction of the As. Lazzeri had actually given his manager a pretty good reason to move him up in the lineup the day before, slugging three homers and driving in five in a double header. He would only have 14 homers for the year.

4. Josh Hamilton Rangers 5/4/5/8, 4 HRs, 1 2B May 8, 2012 vs. Orioles
When Hamilton is hot, he’s hot. And the Rangers slugger was smoldering in the Rangers 10-3 victory over Baltimore. Each of his four home runs was two run shot — Elvis Andrus was on on first base each time. His double was a drive to the right field gap in his third at-bat. Hamilton initially thought he had put that one out too, but it turned to out there was a bit too much top spin for it to leave the yard.

3. Gil Hodges Dodgers 6/5/5/9, 4 HRs vs. Braves Autust 31, 1950
The Dodgers were in the midst of a pennant race when Hodges went off, slamming his first homer against Hall of Famer Warren Spahn and then adding three more. The slugger had been in a 13 game homer-less drought, but ended it in a big way.

2. Mark Whiten Cardinals, 5/4/4/12, 4 HRs, September 7, 1993 vs. Reds
“Hard Hittin'” Mark Whiten lived up to his name in St. Louis 15-2 win over Cincinnati. The center fielder blasted four dingers and tied a major league record with 12 RBIs. It was the second game of a doubleheader, and Whiten had already had an RBI in the first, making him all-time leader in runs driven in for a calender day.

1. Shawn Green Dodgers 6/6/6/7, 4 HRs, 1 2B, May 23, 2002 vs. Brewers
Green, who had got off to a slow start in 2002, went nuts in LA’s 16-3 win over Milwaukee, setting a major league record with 19 total bases. He got his chance to tie the Major League record for homers in a game thanks to Adrian Beltre, who smashed a dinger with two outs in the top of the ninth, bringing Green to the plate.

So instead of the usual analysis, let’s list this year’s fantasy All-Stars, now that we have a two-month sample size. These aren’t necessarily the best players in baseball, but rather they are the best performers in relation to what they were paid for on draft or auction day.

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy
While Victor Martinez would be the obvious pick in the few leagues that granted him catcher-eligibility, for most of the fantasy landscape it’s Lucroy, who’s hitting .322 and playing first base on most of the days he’s not behind the plate.

First base: Victor Martinez
Because he was no longer catcher eligible, Martinez could have been had with a late round pick or a buck or two. With a .335 average and 13 dingers his production is just about inline with Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers much more expensive first baseman.

Second base: Dee Gordon
It wasn’t so long ago that Dee Gordon was a bust (and a shortstop.) Now he’s been doing everything fellow speedster Billy Hamilton was supposed to do, and has been doing it at second base. While his batting average was way down in May, after a torrid start, his steals were actually up and he’s on about a 100 swipe pace. He’ll probably be a bit light in four categories going forward, but he can single-handedly win steals.

Shortstop: Alexei Ramirez
During his first three years stateside, the Cuban Missile displayed good pop for a shortstop. His power started to fade in 2012 but he compensated for it by stealing more bases. So he’s always been a decent fantasy option, just never a complete one. This year he’s finally putting it all together and it’s been spectacular. Seven homers, 11 steals and a 100 pace in runs and RBIs. His .327 batting average is inflated by a career-high .346 BABIP and should come down.  Still, he’s a .280 hitter for his career, and should remain a top three shortstop if he continues with his running and power.

Third base: Josh Donaldson
The A’s man on the hot corner cost owners more than they paid for the other players in the all-fantasy infield. However, he probably didn’t cost as much as he should have, since his age made folks skeptical of his breakout 2013 season. Well, skeptics be damned. Donaldson’s been even better in 2014 for Oakland’s improbable offensive machine and would be our pick for the American League MVP in real life.

Outfield: Nelson Cruz
It wasn’t just fantasy owners who shunned Nelson Cruz. No big league teams wanted him either, and he was forced to sign with Baltimore for a “paltry” one-year $8 million deal. Cruz has responded to the indignity by having the best year of his career at 33 and presumably PED-free. The big league leader in homers and RBIs did give his owners a scare yesterday when he left the field after being hit on the hand with a pitch. Luckily the X-rays came back negative and he should only miss a couple games.

Outfield: AJ Pollock
We touched on Pollock — the 72 ranked player in Yahoo! leagues despite being undrafted just about everywhere — earlier. Now the question is whether he’s worth a DL stash. If you have the slot available, why not? Although since wrist injuries can be tricky don’t hesitate to dump him if you need it for someone else.

Outfield: Brandon Moss
Similar to his Oakland teammate Donaldson, most fantasy owners didn’t believe in Moss’s 2013 breakout season as a full time player, and he went un-drafted in most leagues. Moss has been a beast so far, with 13 homers and 46 RBIs. He’s also hitting lefties — long his Achilles heel — better than righties.

RHP: Masahiro Tanaka
Tanaka was pretty expensive, both in real life and in the fantasy realm. But, amazingly, he’s been more than worth it. Yeah, he did finally lose a game.  But where would his fantasy owners (not to mention the Yankees) be without his eight wins, 88 Ks and American League-leading 2.06 ERA and .953 WHIP.

LHP: Mark Buehrle
Fine, he doesn’t strike anybody out. But ten wins and a 2.10 ERA is terrific value for a pitcher who could have been plucked from most waiver wires at the start of the season. Buehrle is closing in on 200 wins for his career, and the 35-year old with Jamie Moyer-like stuff seems like he could pitch well into his forties. Will he became baseball’s most unlikely 300 game winner?

Closer: Francisco Rodriguez
K-Rod wasn’t even the Brewers ninth inning man heading into the season. However, he grabbed the closer role quickly and if you grabbed him you netted quite the free fantasy asset. Rodriguez leads the Majors in saves and has been strong in the ERA, WHIP and Ks categories as well.

Now Damon, for all of his good attributes, did not have much of an arm. But the throw he unleashed on that day had enough juice on it to reach the cutoff man and limit Newhan to a triple. Then, out of nowhere, left fielder Manny Ramirez enters the frame. He dives for the ball, just out of Damon’s hand, catching it while tumbling to the ground. He gets up quickly and fires it to the traditional cutoff man, second baseman Mark Bellhorn. However, the superfluous step allowed Newhan to round third and snag an inside-the-park home run. It was the birth of the phrase “Manny Being Manny” because there was just no other way to describe what Ramirez was thinking.

Ramirez and Damon have joked about the play over the years, including when they both signed with the Tampa Bay Rays before the 2011 season. Yesterday, on the occasion of the ten year anniversary of the 2004 Red Sox team that finally broke Boston’s almost century long World Series curse, Damon finally got to pay Ramirez back.

Just about all the players from the famous squad were back in Fenway for the ceremony. Jason Vartiek, Martinez, “idiot” Kevin Millar, Mike Timlin, Keith Foulke, Orlando Cabrera, Trot Nixon, Gabe Kapler and David Ortiz, who still plays for the club. Curt Schilling, in his first public appearance since his cancer diagnosis, was there as well. But it was Rameriz, who’s had an acrimonious relationship with the Red Sox since he forced a trade to the Dodgers in 2008, who was selected to throw out the first pitch.

That’s when Damon struck, diving in front of the ball with an exaggerated tumble and recreating the hilarious cutoff of a decade earlier.

But it wasn’t just fun and jokes for Ramirez, who recently signed with the Cubs to help coach their Triple-A squad and get the occasional at-bats. The forty-one year old, who was sporting a fauxhawk, also wanted to use the opportunity to apologize for some of his poor behavior during his time on the Red Sox.

“I realize that I behaved bad in Boston,” Ramirez said. “The fans were great. I also played great when I was here, but I realized I behaved bad. I apologize for that. I’m a new man.”

Ramirez, who says he’s found religion and now regularly attends church,apologized specifically to the team’s traveling secretary Jack McCormick, who Ramirez knocked to the ground in 2008 during a dispute over tickets.

“I went and spoke to Jack,” Ramirez said. “I apologized to Jack. I told him, ‘Jack, I want you to forgive me because it was my fault. I behaved bad here with everybody. I want you to forgive me.'”

McCormick, 64 at the time of the incident, accepted the apology and added he had been waiting six years for Ramirez to say those words.

The incident with McCormick, various PED suspensions, and a domestic abuse arrest in 2011 were the downside of “Manny being Manny. But most of it was pretty fun. Check out some of the highlights of Manny Ramirez’s long, strange baseball trip below.

But since they are not actually dead, a couple Upton home runs or a game in which Lincecum can find the strike zone tempts fantasy owners to bet on these fallen stars returning to at least some of their past glory. It is usually best to avoid this temptation.

However, we are starting to see green shoots from one name on the list — Dickey — that shouldn’t necessarily be ignored. The Blue Jay is 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in his last six starts. Given how streaky knuckleballers are, this could be the start of something big for Dickey. We’d like to see a better strikeout rate — Dickey was K-ing about a batter an inning during his 2012 Cy Young season — but, overall, the 39-year old is inching back into the circle of trust.

Nolan Arenado Hits the DL
One of fantasy’s thinnest postion got a bit thinner today when the Rockies placed third baseman Nolan Arenado on the 15-day DL, yet another victim of the baseball’s 2014 thumb injury epidemic. He broke his on a slide and will be out four to six weeks, which is too bad because he’s been really good. If this was three days ago, we’d recommend picking up Phillies third-sacker Cody Asche, a 23-year old who had been hitting .317 with three homers and 12 RBIs in the month of May. But, alas, he just tweaked his hammy and has been placed on the DL, too. It seems like this will only be a two-week deal. If it’s any longer the Phillies might call up top prospect Maikel Franco, and he’s a guy you should certainly monitor.

As for third baseman to replace Arenado with that are actually playing Major League baseball … Chase Headley, who has two homers and 10 RBIs in the 14 games since he returned from injury is still available in over 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Matt Domínguez has seven homers, a non-terrible .254 batting average and is available in just about all of them.

Closer Carousal
On Sunday, Jenrry Mejía pitched the top of the ninth of a tie game in the first game of the Mets doubleheader against the Diamondbacks (he lost it on an unearned run) and then saved the second game. He’s clearly the closer in New York, and has the potential to be a good one.

Thanks to Tommy Hunter‘s strained left groin, Zach Britton has definitely grabbed the Orioles ninth inning role he had probably already won. We like a better strikeout rates than Britton’s 6.1 per nine innings from our closers, but his .68 ERA is hard to ignore.

No such good options in White Sox-land after closer Matt Lindstrom hit the DL. Ronald Belisario picked up two sloppy saves this week and then blow a three-run lead in his third chance. Daniel Webb, who has closer stuff, lurks, but has been allowing a lot of base-runners and has struggled in high-leverage situations.  Unless you really, really need saves, we’d let the White Sox situation breathe for a week or two.