Well, I am back from the hospital and ready to look at some fantasy baseball. I read last week’s Wire Troll and while Tim did a fine job, I will not ever be looking at September call-ups or writing something that long. Let me say this: rookies are for rookies. If you are picking up a September call-up to help you make the stretch run, then you are in worse shape than you think you are. Most of the time, an end of the season call-up doesn’t really wow the league with his fantasy play. So, with all due respect, September call-ups are the riskiest of the risky picks to make for a playoff run in your league. Here’s who I do like this week:

Aubrey Huff: Not that he is going to be available in a ton of leagues, but, if he is unowned, I’d snatch him up. Huff is batting .354/.418/.695 in August with seven homers and 17 RBI after batting .248 with only six homers in the four previous months. Huff has always been a second-half player, so make sure you have him for the stretch run if nobody else does.

Nate McLouth: I’ve mentioned him before and own him in a few of my leagues, but I still see him available in the ones that I don’t own him in. While his batting average won’t wow you (.264 over the last month), his 22 runs, seven taters, 17 ribbies, and seven stolen bases will help you stay in the game, assuming you have other guys that will keep your BA up.

Jayson Werth: Now, with Shane Victorino back from the DL, I will admit that this is a somewhat risky pick in itself. Werth has certainly played well in Victorino’s absence and he has continued to play well since Victorino returned from the DL. Werth is hitting .403 (29-for-72) with three home runs and 18 RBI in 23 games since August 1. With Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell cemented in place in the Phillies’ outfield already, and Victorino back and playing well, Werth is a very short-term pick-up if you do make it.

Carlos Silva: I, too, like Silva down the stretch as a starting pitcher. Over the past month, Silva has thrown 39 2/3 innings, and put up two wins, 20 strikeouts, with a 2.95 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. If you need a pitcher for the remainder of the season who can get you some quality innings, give Silva a look.

And he didn’t exactly tear it up during Tuesday’s game, taking an 0-for-2. A-Rod best hope that history repeats itself as for the past three years, his OPS during the second half has been 100 points higher. I mean, it’s not as if his numbers are bad — 61 runs in 84 games places him 10th in the AL and 90 hits, 19 homers, 65 RBI, nine steals, a .390 OBP and .505 SLG are all impressive totals — but given his stature in the game, he is held to a greater standard. Now, granted Rodriguez has laboured to an extent with a sore groin lately. But given the boos raining down on him at home, it’s clear that there’s a great number of Yankee fans who think that this ailment might best be cured with a good swift kick to the sore spot. Let’s face it, when you’re pulling in a salary that rivals the GDP of some third-world countries, people tend to expect superhuman results. more