If there is good news regarding Troy Tulowitzki's wrist injury, it's that the Rockies shortstop might return as soon as six weeks -- in plenty of time for you to have him back for the stretch run of the regular season.

If you're a Jhonny Peralta fan (all three of you), there is another reason to smile, but more on that in a bit.

Let's look at 10 potential replacements for Tulowitzki in deep leagues (all stats are through Monday):

The 50-percent-and-over group

The only player who is owned in more than 50 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com who might be readily available is the Braves' Yunel Escobar. The 2009 standout missed 13 games with a leg injury before returning in mid-May, and many owners gave up on Escobar after a brutal start to 2010 (.215 batting average in April and .207 in May).

Escobar -- who batted .299 with 89 runs, 14 homers, 76 RBI and five steals last season -- has heated up this month. He's batting .328 with two steals and an .847 OPS, but he has scored only seven runs and has no homers and five RBI.

If he's available in your league and you need help at short, he's the best option on this list.

Not a shortstop, but ...

The Tribe's Peralta -- much to our delight -- is no longer playing the marquee defensive position in baseball, but he is eligible at shortstop in some leagues because of 2009 qualifications. That alone makes him relevant in fantasy.

If you can play him at his former position, he's the No. 2 option here, thanks to a June in which he's batted .314 with 11 runs scored and 11 RBI in 70 at-bats. As poor as he can be in the field and on the basepaths, in fantasy what matters is he can hit for power (Peralta averaged 20 homers, 77 RBI and 89 runs from 2005-08) and drive in runs. Peralta is available in more than 79 percent of the ESPN leagues.

Nos. 3-10

3. Mike Aviles, Royals (owned in 18.4 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com): Aviles is a second baseman, but he's started seven games at short and is eligible there in many leagues. He won't help you much in homers and RBI, but he's batting .339 in June and he hit .317 in May.

4. Ian Desmond, Nationals (21.1 percent): He's struggled this month (.242, no homers, six RBI, .613 OPS), but has four homers, 33 RBI and four steals on the season. In 309 career at-bats, he's driven in 45 runs.

5. Clint Barmes, Rockies (3.2 percent): He has taken over at short for Tulowitzki, and he had a productive 2009 in the power department (23 homers, 76 RBI). The bad: He hasn't homered since May 28, he's batting .222 on the season and he's hitting .255 this month. Regardless, he has 31 RBI and 20-homer potential, which is better than most candidates you'll find on the waiver wire.

6. Cristian Guzman, Nationals (30.9 percent): He's batting .300 with 31 runs, but is of no help in homers (1) and RBI (20). Guzman -- a second baseman who has started 13 games at short -- batted .380 in May, but has struggled mightily this month (.240, .603 OPS). In 2008 and '09, he batted .301 with averages of eight homers, 54 RBI, 75 runs and five steals.

7. Starlin Castro, Cubs (31.9 percent): The rookie tore up National League pitching in May (.310, two homers, 12 RBI), but he's received a reality check in his second month in the big leagues (.196, no homers, four RBI and a .527 OPS in June).

8. Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals (14.8 percent): He has decent numbers in runs (32), homers (5) and RBI (32), but he's hitting only .246 in June.

9. Jeff Keppinger, Astros (18.0 percent): He's a decent hitter (.284), but isn't much of an asset in the other categories (one homer, 22 RBI, one steal).

10. Alcides Escobar, Brewers (38.2 percent): At least he's consistent. Escobar, amazingly, has batted .250 each month, including June. He's in his third year and can help you in steals (five this season), but isn't very useful in the other categories.

If you’re the type of fantasy owner who just looks at last year’s stats, you won’t be selecting David Wright in the second round in the next few weeks.

If you’re the guy or gal who looks at three-, four- or even five-year averages, you’ll notice the Mets’ third baseman is an ideal mid-second-round pick.

He had an off year, hence his drop in value, but he’s still young (27) and is a proven commodity.

From 2005 to ’08, Wright batted .311 with averages of 29 home runs, 112 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 106 runs scored.

Last season, Wright scored 88 runs (a drop of 27 from the year before), hit 10 homers (a drop of 23), drove in 72 runs (52 down from 2009) and struck out a career-high 140 times. He went on the disabled list for the first time in his career, but he still played in 144 games and has said he just felt out of sorts last season.

The cavernous new Citi Field didn’t help Wright’s power numbers, but he had only five home runs in 277 at-bats on the road.

Was it just an off year? Was it something more? Does he miss alleged former fling Erin Andrews?

My guess: Yes, no and how can he not?

When I ranked the top 100 overall players prior to spring training, I struggled deciding between the Rays’ Evan Longoria and Wright, despite Longoria hitting 33 homers and driving in 113 runs in 2009, his second season.

Longoria likely will be a late first- or early second-round pick, and Wright should go off the board shortly thereafter.

He might not provide the power of Longoria, but he’ll hit for a higher average, steal a lot more bases and should be comparable in runs and RBI.

If you get Wright in the middle of the second round, you shouldn’t regret it.

We can’t say the same for any Indians fan who believes he can wait until the middle rounds to draft his or her starting third baseman: Jhonny Peralta.

On to the rankings:

Rank, player: R-HR-RBI-SB-Avg.
1. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 78-30-100-14-.286
2. Evan Longoria, Rays: 100-33-113-9-.281
3. David Wright, Mets: 88-10-72-27-.307
4. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals: 110-33-106-2-.292
5. Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks: 98-44-102-24-.260
6. Pablo Sandoval, Giants: 79-25-90-5-.330
7. Chone Figgins, Mariners: 114-5-54-42-.298
8. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: 46-15-65-2-.317
9. Michael Young, Rangers: 76-22-68-8-.322
10. Chipper Jones, Braves: 80-18-71-4-.264
11. Jorge Cantu, Marlins: 67-16-100-3-.289
12. Adrian Beltre, Red Sox: 54-8-44-13-.265
13. Ian Stewart, Rockies: 74-25-70-7-.228
14. Miguel Tejada, Orioles: 83-14-86-5-.313
15. Casey McGehee, Brewers: 58-16-66-0-.301
16. Placido Polanco, Phillies: 82-10-72-7-.285
17. Casey Blake, Dodgers: 84-18-79-3-.280
18. Brandon Inge, Tigers: 71-27-84-2-.230
19. Jhonny Peralta, Indians: 57-11-83-0-.254
20. Chase Headley, Padres: 62-12-64-10-.262

Preseason top 100 players (9): Rodriguez (4), Longoria (15), Wright (18), Zimmerman (31), Reynolds (40), Sandoval (44), Figgins (60), Ramirez (71), Young (86)

Short hops
Rodriguez needed only 444 at-bats last season to extend his 30-homer, 100-RBI streak to 12 years. ... Reynolds is a great combination of power and steals, but be wary of taking him early in points leagues that penalize for strikeouts. The Diamondbacks’ third baseman has fanned 427 times in 1,117 at-bats the last two years. ... Before an injury-marred 2009, the Cubs’ Ramirez had tallied at least 26 homers and 92 RBI in six consecutive seasons. ... Beltre had a three-year stretch with 25, 26 and 25 homers prior to a dismal 2009. ... Cantu has 45 homers and 195 RBI the last two seasons. ... The 35-year-old Tejada, whose power numbers are down significantly the last two seasons, is making the move from shortstop to the hot corner. ... To Peralta’s credit, prior to 2009, he had batted at least .270 with 21 homers and 72 RBI for four straight seasons. ... The promising Headley has struck out 241 times in 892 career at-bats.

NOTE: Statistics are from the 2009 season. ... Positions listed are according to the depth charts at mlb.com.

NOTE II: We pushed back the shortstop rankings until Thursday this week, hoping the Mets will release more on Jose Reyes’ thyroid condition by then.

THIS WEEK: Third basemen, today; designated hitters, Wednesday; shortstops, Thursday

LAST WEEK: Catchers, March 2; first baseman, March 4; second baseman, March 5

NEXT WEEK: Outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers

Jhonny Peralta symbolizes many of the things that drive Tribe fans crazy.

-- His casual demeanor can fool you into believing he doesn't care.

-- He played the majority of his career out of position, which seems to be an Eric Wedge motto. Think Ryan Garko in left field, Asdrubal Cabrera at second base or Chris Gimenez anywhere.

-- When the season goes south, Peralta seems to be at his best.

The latter item will lead "real" fans to believe Peralta isn't clutch. Us fake players, however, can reap the benefits of Peralta's efforts to be the Indians' post-June Evan Longoria for the second straight season.

Since July 5, Peralta, even after going 0-for-5 Wednesday night, is batting .324 with 17 runs scored, five homers, 21 RBI and seven doubles in 102 at-bats. The homers account for more than half of the third baseman's season total (five of nine), and he had only 34 RBI in 275 at-bats prior to his hot streak.

This stretch coincides with a 2008 in which Peralta batted .294 with 57 runs, 11 home runs and 54 RBI from July on. In 2005, he batted .300 with 54 runs, 23 doubles, 16 homers and 51 RBI after the calendar flipped to the seventh month.

In 2007 -- when the Tribe won the Central Division -- it was the opposite. Peralta, prior to a productive postseason, faded down the stretch, batting .261 with seven homers and 22 RBI after the All-Star break (compared to .277 with 14 homers and 50 RBI prior).

You don't need any more stats to tell you this is Peralta's favorite time of year. Somehow, he is available in more than 27 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com.

If that's the case in your league, I'd acquire him faster than you can say white flag.

Laffey does matter: Aaron Laffey is young, a lefty and has a salary that is line with the major-league minimum, which makes him a shoo-in for the Tribe's rotation in 2010.

He's also on a surprisingly effective run during The Peralta Months, allowing four runs or fewer in each of his five starts since returning to the Indians' rotation on July 8.

In that span, Laffey is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 31 innings. He's thrown seven shutout innings or more in two of his last three starts, and he has a respectable 3.58 ERA for the season.

He's available in, oh, 99.3 percent of the ESPN leagues -- which isn't to suggest that you should rush to put in a waiver-wire bid. But in deep mixed leagues in which he qualifies as a reliever, Laffey can be an asset if you'd rather play a reliever who will start once or twice a week.

Laffey won't help you in strikeouts (he has 100 in 200 1/3 career innings), but he doesn't seem to have the Carl Pavano all-or-nothing quality/curse.

Carl Pavano's 5.29 earned-run average isn't going to interest you. Neither will his 1.37 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). Same goes for his track record, which, since 2004, has prominently included "overpaid" and "oft-injured."

Never one to shy away from a monthly split, a look at Pavano's May numbers tell a different story: a 5-1 record, with a 3.60 ERA, eight walks and 34 strikeouts in 45 innings. If the Indians' bullpen would have held the lead Pavano handed it Sunday, the 33-year-old right-hander would have had six wins last month.

More May numbers for Pavano: He allowed three runs or fewer in six of seven starts, and he gave up four runs or fewer in all seven. He's also struck out 24 in 25 1/3 innings in his last four starts.

Does all of this mean you should rush to the free-agent waiver to acquire the pitcher on whom the Yankees wasted $40 million? No. But if you're in an AL-only league or a 14- or 16-team mixed league, Pavano is worth considering.

He's no longer the 18-game winner from 2004, and he's not a big strikeout asset (his 139 K's with Florida five years ago are his career high). But he has been effective, and it doesn't hurt that he's pitching for his next contract.

If he's starting two games in a week, he's certainly worth a look.

We all know the wheels could fall off at any time. Until they do, you could do a lot worse (think Fausto Carmona).

Speaking of Fausto: Why owners continue to start Carmona is more puzzling than LeBron James guarding Rafer Alston instead of Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu. The young righty is is 2-5 with a 6.60 ERA and is on pace to walk more batters than he strikes out for the second consecutive season. In 10-team mixed leagues, I'd drop him if I needed the roster space, and I wouldn't start him in any format.

Tribe tidbits: If you're hurting at shortstop and continue to start Jhonny Peralta, you can at least feel good about his batting improvement in May (a .297 average, compared to .211 in April). Still, he hit only one homer last month and scored all of eight runs. In deeper leagues, I'd sit him until he regains the power stroke that accounted for a combined 44 homers in 2007 and '08.

-- A sure sign this Indians season isn't going as planned: The Tribe's top two fantasy players have been Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. Cabrera, who is batting .318 with 38 runs, 27 RBI and seven steals (he had a combined four stolen bases the previous two seasons), should be started in all formats. I would consider Choo a productive No. 3 outfielder, one who is on pace to hit more than 20 homers, drive in 90-plus runs and steal 18 bases.

-- Cliff Lee's 2-6 record certainly warrants a spot on your bench, but I wouldn't make that move. The 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner has given up three earned runs or fewer in nine consecutive starts, and he has a 3.16 ERA for the season. The only reason he hasn't matched Pavano's win total is the Tribe's production during that nine-start span: 13 runs. His luck has to turn around, and you don't want him to be a reserve when it does.

We'll be back tomorrow with a Pick Three for the week. Until then, good luck and don't even think about reserving a spot in your lineup for Travis Hafner.

The Indians are off to another awful April start. Their starting pitching has been dreadful, and their bullpen is a Kane Davis or Jorge Julio sighting from being even worse.

None of that will stop us from our best Eric Wedge impersonation today. We're going to keep our eyes on the prize, stay focused, continue to grind it out and look at the positives. OK, we're just going to look at the positives -- the Tribe's surprising offensive numbers (stats that are skewed by their 22-4 win over the Yankees on Saturday in The House That George Built and Hitters Love).

Through Sunday, the Indians rank seventh in the major leagues in batting average (.280), are second in runs scored (83), home runs (22), on-base percentage (.380) and OPS (.875). The Indians lead the big leagues in doubles (33), are tied for third in RBI (79) and, here's a shocker, have rung up the most strikeouts (115 in 13 games).

All of which means the following from a fantasy perspective:

-- Every-week starters: Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Mark DeRosa, Travis Hafner and Jhonny Peralta. Sizemore is striking out as much as ever (17 in 54 at-bats) and is batting only .259, but you can't sit that combination of speed and power. ... Martinez's power has returned (he has four homers, which is double his 2008 total), and his .466 OBP doesn't hurt. ... Don't bench DeRosa strictly because of his batting average (.236). The versatile infielder has three homers and 15 RBI in his last eight games. ... Hafner has four homers and eight RBI, but isn't as much of an asset in points leagues that penalize for strikeouts (14 in 42 at-bats). ... Peralta has yet to hit a homer, but he's batting .333 and has an OBP of .404.

-- Backups: Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera. Choo has three homers and eight RBI in 43 at-bats, and he's a rare member of the Tribe who has more walks (nine) than strikeouts (eight). ... Cabrera has been surprisingly effective (.333, 10 runs scored, one homer, seven RBI and two steals), but should only be started in deeper leagues in which you need infield help.

-- Not much help: Ryan Garko, Kelly Shoppach and Ben Francisco. Garko is batting .300 with a .447 on-base percentage, but he doesn't play every day and has just one homer. That's not enough power at a position as loaded as first base. ... Shoppach, who hit 21 homers last season, doesn't play enough (24 at-bats in 13 games) and has already struck out nine times. ... Even Wedge couldn't find something to like in Francisco's stats (.211, one homer, four RBI).

That sound you just heard was Nick Swisher coming back to earth. The Yankees outfielder, after starting the season 11-for-24 (.458) with four homers and 11 RBI, is 3-for-18 with one run, zero RBI and six strikeouts in his last four games.

Tick, tick, tick ... Fantasy owners who took a chance on Alex Rodriguez in the second, third or fourth rounds might be rewarded sooner than originally thought. A-Rod is already taking batting practice and fielding ground balls, making the original May 15 timetable for his return from hip surgery seem pessimistic. I'm no doctor, and I don't play one on the Internet, but here's a guess: A-Rod will be in all fantasy lineups by the start of Week 6 on Monday, May 11 -- at the latest.

You don't need me to tell you to bench Chien-Ming Wang. But I wouldn't drop him, as is happening in many leagues, even with that slow-pitch softball ERA (34.50).

Pick three

In the fantasy baseball column that was published in Saturday's editions, I wrote about three free agents who were worth picking up in deeper leagues (Kyle Davies, Chris Duncan and Randy Winn), with the rule of thumb that each player must be available in more than half of the leagues on ESPN.com.

Let's look at three more:

Denard Span, OF, Twins -- He's young (25), fast (three stolen bases this year, and 18 in 347 at-bats last season) and drives in a decent amount of runs (nine this season, 47 in a little more than half a season in 2008). He's also batting .300 and has been so effective that the playing time of Carlos Gomez (.200) and Delmon Young (.212) has suffered.

Jason Kubel, DH, Twins -- He hit for the cycle on Friday, which only jumped his ownership percentage to 7.4 entering Sunday night on ESPN.com. The fact Kubel is only a DH limits you, but he'll hit for power (a combined 33 homers in 881 at-bats in 2007 and '08) and his batting average (.333) and OPS (.939) are too good to pass up as a low-end starter in 12-team leagues.

Zach Duke, SP, Pirates -- His poor outing Sunday notwithstanding, Duke has resembled his 2005 rookie self (8-2, 1.81 ERA), not the 18-37 train wreck from 2006-08. The lefty is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA. The negative: He won't help you much in the strikeout department (11 in 20 2/3 innings this season, and 314 in 613 career innings).

That does it for this week. Good luck, keep your head up and (channeling my inner Eric Wedge) remember there's a lot of baseball left to be played.