Corner Infielders: The return of Jason

We take our weekly Fantasy look at corner infielders every Tuesday. All stats and notes are through games of Monday, June 6.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

In the case of the Yankees and manager Joe Torre, that means giving Jason Giambi regular time at first base.

Tino Martinez was reminded he wasn't signed to be the everyday first baseman -- and has proceeded to come crashing back to earth (.238) -- and the Yanks are hoping to catch lighting in a bottle with their embattled free-agent bust.

"I'm not afraid to do it," Torre told the New York Daily News. "He's had some good at-bats. You just have to make a decision. I don't want to sit him down."

Giambi has seven hits in his past 21 at-bats heading into Tuesday's game in Milwaukee and has raised his average to .237. While that's far from his MVP numbers, Fantasy owners who took a flier on him might be rewarded in the coming weeks and months.

Granted, if Giambi doesn't take advantage of this latest opportunity, you can be sure George Steinbrenner will upgrade the position by the trade deadline, but considering he was platooning at DH with Bernie Williams and was even asked to go to the minors to work out his problems, this is quite a development for both Giambi and his owners.

What to expect? It's anyone's guess right now. Trying to figure out anything the Yankees are doing on or off the field these days is an exercise in futility (Randy Johnson losing back-to-back starts to the Royals and Brewers comes to mind), but chances are you paid next-to-nothing for Giambi or he is currently in your free-agent pool.

Are we suggesting picking him up immediately? No. But ultimately it depends on your needs and your roster.

If you need a corner infielder or a first baseman, he could be serviceable. Considering his recent at-bats and the unexpected vote of confidence from his manager, Giambi could be a Fantasy factor from here on out.

If he's not, what have you lost?

Notes, quotes and anecdotes

• Good news for Justin Morneau owners. What appeared to be a sure visit to the DL turned out to be just a small setback, and the small bone spur and strained right elbow won't keep him out of the lineup much longer. He is expected to make his return Tuesday or Wednesday at Arizona.
• This just in: Derrek Lee is having a career year. The Triple-Crown candidate is the Fantasy MVP to this point with his 17 home runs, 52 RBI and .385 average entering Tuesday's action. "He's a consistent-personality type of guy," Cubs manager Dusty Baker says. "A lot of guys, performance dictates their personality. Derrek is not one of them. Some guys, you can walk in and tell who's hot and who's not, who's cold, who's grumpy. Derrek is not like that." Ride the wave. Don't try and trade him while he's the talk of the town.
• Scott Rolen (shoulder) took batting practice Monday, but is still a few weeks out from a return to the Cardinals' lineup. "I'm kind of under orders to stay up the middle and hit some line drives, because getting all the way through a ball might be a little more of a test than I need to make today," Rolen said.

• Chipper Jones (foot) was placed on the 15-day DL on Monday and might face surgery to repair a torn ligament in his toe. Going under the knife would knock Chipper out of action until later this summer if not the rest of the season. Andy Marte and Wilson Betemit will get the time at third base in his absence.

• Triple-A stud Chris Shelton won't get much of a chance to prove what he can do this week for the Tigers, thanks in large part to interleague play. His primary position in most of CBS SportsLine.com's leagues is catcher, but with I-Rod behind the dish, Shelton will get the bulk of his at-bats from the first base or DH spots. He was tearing up at Triple-A Toledo, hitting .331 with eight homers, 39 RBI and 34 runs scored and led the Arizona Fall League with a .404 average (46-for-114) and won the MVP award for the super-prospect league. He's worthy of picking up in all formats, even though he won't get many opportunities this week in NL ballparks.

• While Johnny Estrada got the worst of his home-plate collision with Darin Erstad Monday night, the Angels' first baseman didn't escape unscathed. His left shoulder had a gash and was still bleeding after the game. He required a trip to the hospital but should be fine.

Bleacher Banter

Tom Arens, Old Forge, Pa.: I'm in a 10-team, mixed Rotisserie league, and I'm currently shopping for a third baseman. With saves being a hot commodity in our league, I'm offering one of my closers. I have Mariano Rivera, Braden Looper, Troy Percival and Huston Street. I would prefer to keep Rivera, but I'm having a hard time deciding which of the other three to offer, and which level of player I can expect in return.

B.B.: The three you would prefer to give up all have questions. Street (inexperience), Percival (injury) and Looper (inconsistency) won't get nearly the return that Rivera will. But even Rivera by himself probably won't get you a top-flight third baseman, (i.e. Melvin Mora, Hank Blalock or Troy Glaus). If he can, we say part with Mo and depend on the other three for saves.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball corner-infielder questions to bleacher@commissioner.com. Be sure to put Attn: Corner Infielders in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.