This article is part of our Transaction Analysis series.
Here's a look at the transactions this week that had the most significant fantasy impact.
Angels
Vernon Wells, OF - placed on the 15-day DL (right thumb)
Kole Calhoun, OF - contract purchased from Triple-A Salt Lake
Impact: Wells could miss 8-10 weeks after he had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb Tuesday. The Angels have enough outfield depth to compensate, so they probably won't miss Wells and his .244 average and six home runs too much. Peter Bourjos figures to benefit the most from this move, as he had been forced into a bench role when Mike Trout was called up at the end of April. Through Tuesday's game, Bourjos is hitting .197 with one home run, nine RBI and only one stolen base. He probably isn't worth a look in mixed leagues at the moment, but could have value in deep AL-only leagues. Calhoun will be used as a reserve outfielder for the Angels.
Athletics
Brandon McCarthy, RHP - placed on the 15-day DL (right shoulder)
Graham Godfrey, RHP - recalled from Triple-A Sacramento
Impact: McCarthy will miss at least a couple of weeks due to soreness in his right shoulder. He has had more than his fair share of injuries over his career, as he has never topped 25 starts in a single season. He began this season as the A's No. 1 starter and pitched well in nine starts. Over 58 innings, he had a very respectable ERA
Here's a look at the transactions this week that had the most significant fantasy impact.
Angels
Vernon Wells, OF - placed on the 15-day DL (right thumb)
Kole Calhoun, OF - contract purchased from Triple-A Salt Lake
Impact: Wells could miss 8-10 weeks after he had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb Tuesday. The Angels have enough outfield depth to compensate, so they probably won't miss Wells and his .244 average and six home runs too much. Peter Bourjos figures to benefit the most from this move, as he had been forced into a bench role when Mike Trout was called up at the end of April. Through Tuesday's game, Bourjos is hitting .197 with one home run, nine RBI and only one stolen base. He probably isn't worth a look in mixed leagues at the moment, but could have value in deep AL-only leagues. Calhoun will be used as a reserve outfielder for the Angels.
Athletics
Brandon McCarthy, RHP - placed on the 15-day DL (right shoulder)
Graham Godfrey, RHP - recalled from Triple-A Sacramento
Impact: McCarthy will miss at least a couple of weeks due to soreness in his right shoulder. He has had more than his fair share of injuries over his career, as he has never topped 25 starts in a single season. He began this season as the A's No. 1 starter and pitched well in nine starts. Over 58 innings, he had a very respectable ERA of 2.95, though his strikeout rate of 6.21 per nine innings was nothing special. Graham Godfrey was recalled to fill the empty spot in the rotation, but he is not likely to be of much help to fantasy teams due to the mediocre ratios that he has posted over his young major league career.
Coco Crisp, OF - activated from the 15-day DL
Eric Sogard, 3B - optioned to Triple-A Sacramento
Impact: Crisp missed almost three weeks with an inner ear infection, but was back in the lineup Monday. He had been doing very little to reward his fantasy owners before the injury, as he hit just .194 with no home runs, five RBI and only four stolen bases in 18 games. He swiped 49 bags last season, so he can still have some value as long as he's healthy. Sogard was one of several players the A's looked at as an option at third base, but was shipped out after hitting just .136 in 21 games. With Brandon Inge on the DL until at least Monday, Josh Donaldson will be the regular at the hot corner in the meantime. Donaldson's numbers have actually been worse than Sogard's, so he is best avoided in most leagues.
Cardinals
Lance Berkman, 1B - placed on the 15-day DL (right knee)
Matt Adams, 1B - contract purchased from Triple-A Memphis
Impact: The Cards have had a hard time keeping their first basemen healthy this season as Berkman, Allen Craig and Matt Carpenter are all out of action due to injuries. Berkman should be out at least six to eight weeks as he recovers from a torn meniscus in his right knee. This is the second time that Berkman has been shelved this season, as he missed almost a month with a strained left calf. Adams inherits the first base job by default and has the potential to put up some good numbers based on his minor league track record. He hit .340 with nine home runs and 27 RBI in 37 games at Triple-A this season. That offensive production was nothing new for him, as he hit .300 with 32 home runs and 101 RBI in 115 games at Double-A last year. He's definitely worth a look in most leagues.
Dodgers
Mark Ellis, 2B - placed on the 15-day DL (left leg)
Ivan DeJesus, IF - recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque
Impact: Ellis should be out a minimum of six weeks after undergoing emergency surgery to relieve pressure in his left leg. The Dodgers second baseman was hitting fairly well through 37 games, batting .273 with 27 runs scored. Elian Herrera and Ivan DeJesus should share the second-base duties in the meantime, though neither player is likely to do much with the bat. Herrera has stolen at least 30 bases in each of his last three seasons in the minors, so fantasy teams in need of steals might want to give him a look.
Mariners
Miguel Olivo, C - activated from the 15-day DL
Casper Wells, OF - optioned to Triple-A Tacoma
Impact: Olivo missed a few weeks with a strained right groin but was finally activated by the Mariners on Thursday. He returns to a .210 average, three home runs and seven RBI through 23 games and will serve as the team's regular catcher. Jesus Montero will return to his role as designated hitter, and John Jaso should see a reduction in playing time as a result of Olivo's return. Wells hit .213 with one home run and six RBI in 47 while serving as a backup outfielder for Seattle.
Marlins
Gaby Sanchez, 1B - optioned to Triple-A New Orleans
Chris Coghlan, OF - recalled from Triple-A New Orleans
Impact: After two consistent seasons as the Marlins' regular first baseman, Sanchez couldn't produce this year and ended up getting demoted to Triple-A. In 36 games with the Fish, he hit just .197 with one home run and 11 RBI. Logan Morrison should become the team's regular first baseman, as he moves in from left field. Coghlan should share the left field duties with Austin Kearns and returns to the major leagues sporting an embarrassing .118 average, no home runs and two RBI in 34 at-bats this season. Kearns has fared much better with the bat, hitting .375 with three home runs and nine RBI through Tuesday, but is nursing a sore hamstring.
Emilio Bonifacio, OF - placed on the 15-day DL (left thumb)
Donovan Solano, IF - contract purchased from Triple-A New Orleans
Impact: Bonifacio led all major leaguers in stolen bases with 20 before he sprained his left thumb during last Friday's game against Cleveland. Obviously his injury is a tough pill for his fantasy owners to swallow, though it doesn't seem serious enough to warrant an extended DL stint. Bryan Petersen should see extra playing time as a result of Bonifacio's misfortune, although he has yet to produce offensively this season. Peterson is hitting just .167 with no home runs and one RBI through Tuesday's game. Solano will serve as infield depth.
Rangers
Neftali Feliz, RHP - placed on the 15-day DL (right elbow)
Yoshinori Tateyama, RHP - recalled from Triple-A Round Rock
Impact: Feliz has been solid so far in his first season as a major league starter, but the extra workload seems to have caught up to him. He'll miss some time with a strained right elbow and could be moved back to the bullpen upon his return. He boasts a 3.16 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, though he's also given up 23 free passes. Scott Feldman now moves from the bullpen to the rotation, but he's probably not one of the better fantasy options out there. After a surprising 2009 season in which he went 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA, Feldman fell apart the following season, going 7-11 with a 5.48 ERA before making just 11 appearances for the Rangers in 2011. Tateyama joins the Rangers bullpen after going 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 39 appearances last season.
Red Sox
Ryan Sweeney, OF - placed on the 7-day DL (concussion)
Cody Ross, OF - placed on the 15-day DL (left foot)
Scott Podsednik, OF - contract purchased from Triple-A Pawtucket
Kevin Youkilis, 3B - activated from the 15-day DL
Impact: The Red Sox lost another couple outfielders to injuries as Sweeney and Ross joined Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish and Jason Repko on the disabled list. Sweeney has hit for a healthy .311 average, though his other numbers (11 runs, 12 RBI and no stolen bases or home runs in 34 games) have been of little help to fantasy teams. After suffering from a concussion, he'll have to pass some tests administered by MLB before he'll be allowed to return to game action. Ross has been more productive with the bat, hitting .271 with eight home runs, 24 runs and 28 RBI in 37 games. He is suffering from a displaced fracture in his left foot; early signs indicate that he might not miss more than a few weeks. Adrian Gonzalez has been seeing time in right field as a result of the injuries to Sweeney and Ross. He could continue to do so as manager Bobby Valentine looks for ways to get both Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks into the lineup. Daniel Nava, Che-Hsuan Lin and Scott Podsednik also figure into the outfield picture in Boston, with Marlon Byrd the only constant. Youkilis returns to a .219 average, two home runs and nine RBI after missing a few weeks with a strained lower back and should see time at both corner infield positions. Podsednik enters the 2012 season with a career average of .279 with 301 steals in 1018 major league games. He did not appear in a major league game last season, but will look to capitalize on this latest opportunity.
