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Before Sunday, the last time once-productive Detroit Tigers outfielders Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter each had multiple hits in the same game was back on May 4. Perhaps that's a bit misleading and unfair, since Jackson came off his month-long disabled list stint for a hamstring injury on Friday night. But still, these guys were one of the top outfield tandems for fantasy purposes in April and then one of them got hurt and the other slumped miserably.

Both Jackson and Hunter remain owned in 100 percent of ESPN standard leagues, and for good reason. Jackson homered, singled, knocked in a pair of runs, scored two runs and stole his sixth base of the season in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins. Hunter smacked his 300th career home run, doubled and finished with three RBIs. However, he entered play Sunday with a .196 batting average in June, a staggering drop from the .370 mark he posted in April and .255 in May. And it's not like he's contributing much in power and stolen bases, with only one in the latter category.

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Both pitchers in Sunday's 2-0 Cleveland Indians win over the Washington Nationals are being judged unfairly these days. The relatively unknown Tribe right-hander, Corey Kluber, spoiled the return of Stephen Strasburg from his disabled list stint by hurling eight shutout innings. The former certainly deserves more attention than he's been getting, but it's also long past time to be hating on the latter, because he remains terrific.

Let's start with Kluber, who is available in 95 percent of ESPN standard leagues despite productive stats, especially of late; the unheralded 27-year-old entered Sunday with a 4.08 ERA, which doesn't attract much notice, but his 3.03 xFIP tells a different tale. Kluber fanned eight Nationals sans any free passes, and earlier in the week, he tossed eight innings of one-run ball at Texas to beat the Rangers. He's not getting his fastball into the mid-90s on a consistent basis, but Kluber does throw hard enough to accrue strikeouts.

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Well, the Tampa Bay Rays finally made the big move on Sunday night that many have been waiting months for: Infielder Ryan Roberts was sent to Triple-A Durham.

Oh, and slugging outfielder Wil Myers, the generally acknowledged top prospect in baseball, is also being called up and is scheduled to make his big league debut Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox.

It’s not surprising that the Rays waited until mid-June to promote the prize piece of the much-discussed offseason trade that sent James Shields, Wade Davis and other parts to the Kansas City Royals. This made sense from a financial aspect, if not performance. The guy was ready last year, but the Royals clearly did not agree. But now that Myers is getting the opportunity with the Rays to start what figures to be a long career manning right field and hitting for power, what should fantasy owners expect the final three-plus months of the season?

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The seemingly brittle NL West teams just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to key injuries. The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't had their optimal lineup all year, and two outfielders are still out. The San Diego Padres got center fielder Cameron Maybin back recently after he missed a few months, and now he's out a few more. The Arizona Diamondbacks thought they'd get right-hander Daniel Hudson back this summer, but they won't. On Wednesday in this space, I discussed the rough day for the San Francisco Giants (Pablo Sandoval, Marco Scutaro). And Thursday, the Colorado Rockies simply had one of those days: Two starting outfielders were hurt in the same game, and the best shortstop in the league broke a rib. Caught up yet?

These injuries have made the division race a bit more interesting -- all five teams remain contenders, really -- but fantasy owners are trying to figure out how they should be reacting. What happened to the Rockies in their 5-4 home loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday just doesn't seem fair. Carlos Gonzalez, the No. 2 overall option on ESPN's Player Rater, suffered a bruised left foot when a Jordan Pacheco foul ball struck him while he was waiting his turn in the on-deck circle. Center fielder Dexter Fowler, the No. 11 outfielder on the Rater, was hit in the right hand by a Ross Detwiler pitch trying to bunt, and he should miss some time. Fortunately, neither Gonzalez nor Fowler suffered broken bones, but nevertheless Tyler Colvin will certainly be safe in terms of expected playing time this weekend. Poor Eric Young Jr. was designated for assignment recently, or else he'd see more playing time.

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The first Oakland Athletics pitcher chosen in ESPN average live drafts prior to this season was not one of the current members of the stellar rotation or closer Grant Balfour. It was brittle left-hander Brett Anderson, who is trying to recover from his latest malady, a stress fracture in his right foot. Meanwhile, one A's hurler after another continues to shine, contributing to the team's first-place status in the AL West.

On Wednesday night, right-hander Dan Straily held the New York Yankees to three singles and two runs over 6 2/3 innings, earning his fourth win and lowering his WHIP to an impressive 1.07. A night earlier, longtime fantasy punching bag Bartolo Colon earned his fifth consecutive win, permitting nary a run for the third time in four outings to stymie the Yankees. On Thursday, Jarrod Parker, one of the top rookies from 2012, will aim to lower his season ERA for the ninth consecutive start. Sure, it was elevated to begin with, but that's still quite a feat. And there's also right-hander A.J. Griffin and lefty Tommy Milone thriving. None of these five pitchers is owned in more than 85 percent of ESPN leagues, but over the past month-plus, each has been terrific.

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It would be a waste of time to look for faults in Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole's big league debut. He took a four-hit, no-walk shutout into the seventh inning at PNC Park against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night, with a larger-than-normal crowd cheering him on, and was ultimately charged with two runs in 6 1/3 innings and won the game. Cole threw 59 of 81 pitches for strikes, his fastball and slider looked nasty and hard, and his changeup worked well, too. Giants hitters had little chance.

Cole even drove in the first two runs of the game with a single to center field. The guy certainly looks the part of a major leaguer, and while it's premature to call him the next Justin Verlander, there's little doubt a promising career is under way. Of course, I was saying this before Tuesday. One game shouldn't alter months/years of analysis.

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Tuesday was not a good day for the San Francisco Giants. Before having to face hard-throwing Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Gerrit Cole in his debut, the Giants placed third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the disabled list because of a strained left foot. The team is hopeful that Sandoval, the regular No. 3 hitter, will return in two weeks, but it's a bit early to know for sure. Then, after Cole was done toying with the Sandoval-less lineup, second baseman Marco Scutaro was hit on the left hand by a Tony Watson pitch in the seventh inning. X-rays were negative, but Scutaro could certainly end up joining Sandoval on the shelf.

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Monday was a big night for a potential future stud Chicago Cubs shortstop, as top prospect Javier Baez bashed four home runs in a 9-6 win for Class A Daytona over Fort Myers, becoming only the second Florida State League player in 94 years to hit four home runs in one game (Ryan Harvey in 2006). Alas, Baez, the organization’s top pick in 2011, is only 20 years old and probably years away from starring at Wrigley Field, but it hasn’t stopped Cubs fans from longing for his eventual promotion, because so many seem fed up with the current option.

In other news Monday night, current Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, all of 23 years old and already boasting nearly 600 career hits and a few All-Star game appearances, was booed while going 1-for-4 and hitting seventh in a foggy 6-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He has four hits in his past 42 at-bats.

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All the games count equally, so let’s not shortchange Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo for Monday’s excellent performance as he tossed eight innings of four-hit, shutout ball against the lowly Miami Marlins. After all, Miami's lineup did feature the return of slugger Giancarlo Stanton from the disabled list. Gallardo, however, will need more than conquering a Double-A lineup to fix his disappointing season. In fact, this appears to be a wise time to try to sell high before he faces the tougher Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves in his next few outings.

Gallardo wasn’t treated like a fantasy ace in drafts this season, but he had been for years, despite final results that were strong in the strikeout department but always lacking a bit in ERA and WHIP. This is a pitcher with a career WHIP on the wrong side of 1.30, and only one of the past four seasons has it been better than that. It’s currently at 1.38, down from 1.49 before Monday. Of course, in all four of those seasons, he has struck out 200 or more hitters, and he’s won in the teens each time with an ERA in the mid- to high-3s -- there’s nothing wrong with any of that -- but it’s always about value, and fantasy owners have expected more. This season, they’ve received considerably less.

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One gets the feeling the Miami Marlins really don’t have much of a plan, and they’re winging it from day to day, but since their offense could again feature the No. 14 option from ESPN live drafts as early as Monday night, fantasy owners have no choice but to pay close attention. A few days ago, it was believed that right fielder Giancarlo Stanton would return from his hamstring injury later this week. Now, oddly enough, because of an injury to underwhelming teammate Casey Kotchman, Stanton could come off the disabled list Monday and be worth activating in weekly formats. Whatever the case, fantasy owners are running out of time to buy low on one of the premier sluggers in the game. I mean, the Fish face the terrible Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff this week. Activate Stanton!

We’ve been over this myriad times how Stanton will be able to produce enticing statistics commensurate with what he did a year ago, despite being featured in the worst offense in baseball. A year ago the Marlins were terrible, yet Stanton smashed 37 home runs and hit .290 in only 123 games. There’s no such thing as lineup protection to start with, so move on from that notion; Stanton was terrific in 2012 and will be again, and while I wouldn’t call him a safe top-20 hitter the rest of the way, he’s close. What interests me is how there are several intriguing pieces on this Miami offense -- for deep leagues, of course! -- especially if the team decides to really go young.

Stanton is the team’s signature asset. He wasn’t off to a great start this season, but the guy has serious power and it would be a shocking development if the team traded him. He’ll be in right field. Prospect Marcell Ozuna has capably handled right field in Stanton’s absence, hitting .331 and topping the Player Rater for Miami options over the past 30 days. Ozuna is, according to his coaches, a quick learner and does bring power potential. He’s expected to move to center field regularly. And lurking in Double-A Jacksonville are top prospects Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick. The Marlins can be patient with each, or they can promote one to handle left field immediately. Marisnick, who recently had a game with two grand slams, is probably closer to getting the call; Yelich is on the minor league DL with an abdomen strain.

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Enough was mercifully enough for the New York Mets and their once-slugging first baseman Ike Davis on Sunday, as yet another hitless performance prompted the organization to finally demote to Triple-A Las Vegas a guy who blasted 32 home runs last season. It’s quite a fall from grace for a player who was chosen in the top 100 of ESPN live drafts (96th overall, to be exact), but I have to admit, I won’t be at all surprised when he’s back helping fantasy owners again soon.

Put simply, any power hitter dragging a batting average on the wrong side of .200 is someone I generally inquire about buying low on for deeper leagues, because it’s rare that a player completes a full season with such an ugly mark. In fact, Carlos Pena was the only hitter qualified for the batting title to hit below .200 last year, and he and Mark Reynolds achieved this ignominy in 2010. It’s not common. Adam Dunn didn’t qualify when he hit .164 in 2011, but you get the point. All these players bring power potential, and that includes the intriguing Davis. Yes, I wanted no part of him in any league Saturday, but now that he’s demoted, you can buy low in an NL-only format or deep mixed because the skill set is a proven one.

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For years, San Diego Padres right-hander Luke Gregerson has been discussed as one of the many top setup men on the verge of becoming a closer. Now that the opportunity has mercifully arrived, he deserves attention in all leagues. What, Huston Street got hurt? That never happens! Sarcasm aside, with closers, it’s generally about opportunity first and skills second, and Gregerson does have that flashy sub-1.00 ERA. It’s just not going to stay there.

It’s generally wise to add new closers to your team whether you covet the saves or not, because these guys tend to make terrific trade bait. Put Gregerson near the top of that sell-high list. For one, Street will return from his sore calf -- it’s always something with him -- probably sometime later this month, and there’s little question about the relief hierarchy. Street certainly isn’t having a good season by any definition other than the saves -- which tell us nothing -- but he’s their guy, at least until the next injury or the team falls apart and trades him. Check back in late July for both scenarios, but they didn’t move him last year, so don’t expect they will in 2013.

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Welcome back, Cameron Maybin! Perhaps many of you weren’t aware that the San Diego Padres outfielder hadn’t played since mid-April with a wrist injury because he had been hitting only .091 after 10 games, but it’s true. He returned to the Padres lineup Thursday night and made quite an impression, getting a few hits, drawing a walk, knocking in two runs and showing aggressive tendencies by stealing two bases and being caught on another while hitting in the No. 7 spot.

Maybin’s fantasy value tends to elicit various degrees of opinion. While he has never really been the coveted player he was expected to be when he made his big league debut for the Detroit Tigers at the ripe age of 20, and then being the big return in the noteworthy Miguel Cabrera trade from the Marlins, he’s certainly brought value with his speed, as well as the lure of upside. Some of his value has been offset by low batting averages, and it’s fair at this point to assume he’ll never be enough of a contact hitter or power option -- especially playing home games at Petco Park -- to be a star. But now that his wrist is healthy -- and we can presume it wasn’t the first two weeks when he had only three hits in 33 at-bats -- he does warrant attention.

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The way Atlanta Braves right-hander Brandon Beachy pitched last season, and knowing that pitchers can return from Tommy John surgery at a similar or occasionally better level than before, he was probably one of my top long-term DL stash options for the season. After all, Beachy struck out 169 hitters in 141 2/3 innings in 2011, and while the strikeout rate dropped some in 2012, he’s forgiven because he delivered a 2.00 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 13 outings. Then his elbow exploded, but he’s already making rehab starts as he approaches a mid-June return. Beachy threw 80 pitches for Double-A Mississippi on Monday, is expected to take the hill for Triple-A Gwinnett this weekend, and he could be in Atlanta’s rotation in two weeks. It sounds awesome.

There’s only one issue, of course: Whom will he replace?

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