St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will miss the next three weeks because of a strained left calf, the St. Louis Dispatch reported. The Cardinals official site added that Pujols would begin rehabbing the injury in the next three days and that manager Tony LaRussa would not insert the first baseman back into the lineup until he was 100 percent.

Pujols has dealt with injuries for much of the 2008 season, beginning with a sore elbow that led to a plummet in early fantasy drafts. He also nursed a bruised left knee in early May and was hobbled by the calf injury for a week before aggrevating it running out a groundball on Tuesday night. Read more »

More than anything, Detroit Tigers pitcher Dontrelle Willis’ demotion to Class-A Lakeland is a mission of self-discovery. Shaken by consistent failures in the last two seasons, Willis will have an opportunity to tear down his approach and rebuild the confidence that made him a Cy Young contender with the Florida Marlins in 2005.

The control problems that Willis was sent down to solve, according to the Detroit Tiger Weblog, were a byproduct of his mental state, but it remains to be seen if a full recovery is in his future. Read more »

Left-handers are a theme for this week’s free agent profiles, with veterans Wandy Rodriguez and Randy Wolf topping the list. There’s a good mix of young and old, risky and conservative available for either permanent roster spots or spot-starting duties. Splits, especially the home/road variety, are a good jumping point for determining how each pitcher can help in your pursuit of a championship.

Rodriguez epitomizes the home/road split, pitching so dominantly at Minute Maid Park (0.98 ERA) that he warrants a long-term roster spot just for the right to start him at home. Meanwhile, a couple of rookies and reclamation projects make for intriguing options in deeper leagues. Read more »

It’s free agent time again, and while a lot of the same players can be found on our list and on your waiver wire, a few fresh faces are also proving worthy of a midseason pickup. Brian Giles continues to hit in front of Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego and the multi-position eligibility of utility players Alexei Ramirez and Maicer Izturis provides depth and flexibility.

With injuries beginning to creep up the fantasy leader board, any of the below can be an admirable stopgap or potential everyday start. Read more »