Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

Jody Gerut was out of the starting lineup Monday for the fourth straight game because of a sore middle finger. According to manager Bud Black, Gerut is still at least a few days from returning. With Scott Hairston out for the season, rookie Will Venable has replaced Gerut in center field. (Rotoworld)

Jody Gerut was held out of Saturday’s starting lineup due to a sprained middle finger. Gerut also missed Friday and will likely be out until Monday. He apparently suffered the injury on a stolen base attempt during Wednesday’s game. “Hopefully, each day it gets a little better. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. But I’m not hopeful,” manager Bud Black said. (Rotoworld)

San Diego OF Jody Gerut singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the San Diego Padres denied Randy Johnson his 295th career win with a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Gerut, who had three hits in the game also hit a two-run game-winning homer on Monday. He went 3-for-4 and added a triple and a run scored. Jody Gerut’s teammate, Scott Hairston, is likely headed to the disabled list with a broken left thumb, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Gerut had been platooning with Hairston in center field despite clearly outperforming Hairston, especially recently. Hairston’s injury should open up more playing time. Gerut has been hitting well of late and is batting .297 for the season. He’s got hits in five straight games with five RBI. Consider him a solid option in deeper leagues, especially NL-only formats down the stretch. The Padres need guys who are productive at the plate, so Gerut will get regular at-bats in their outfield. (Rotowire)

Jody Gerut hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Padres over the Diamondbacks on Monday night. The hit was his first in five attempts, but it got the job done. He’s now batting .308 with seven homers in the month of August. While that’s unlikely to continue, he should probably be grabbed until he cools down. Lost in the morass of the Padres’ season has been Gerut’s exceptional performance. He’s now hitting .292/.350/.491 while playing slightly more often than in a platoon role. “To me, Jody’s been the second-half MVP, no doubt about it,” Padres ace Jake Peavy said. “He’s carried us, hitting in the leadoff spot, and now he’s hitting third, coming up with some big hits. No different from what we’ve seen all year.” (Rotoworld, Rotowire, CBS Sports)

San Diego OF Jody Gerut went 1-for-3 against the Giants on Saturday. Gerut tripled, scored a run and drove in a run. He also walked and is batting .295. Gerut had gone hitless in back-to-back games prior to Saturday but before that was beginning to heat up with a mini four-game streak, a home run and four RBI. Gerut has been on a nice tear since late July, but since he is not an everyday player, he remains more of a stopgap Fantasy option while he is hitting well. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut has continued to hit the ball well as he went 3-for-5 with two runs and a homer against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. Gerut has raised his average to .303 and could be headed for his first .300+ season since becoming a major leaguer in 2003. Gerut, who has 13 homers, finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs. He also had his 15th double in the game. Gerut homered for the first time in seven games and now has six homers in August. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)

Padres OF Jody Gerut is hitting .370 (17-for-46) since Aug. 3 with three doubles, five homers, 12 RBIs and nine runs scored. Gerut is playing well enough right now to consider starting in NL-only play as a No. 3 outfielder. (CBS Sports)

Up:

• P John Maine
• P Joe Blanton
• 3B Chipper Jones
• OF Chase Headley

Down:

• OF Gregor Blanco
• OF Steve Pearce
• P Matt Lindstrom
• P Carlos Villanueva

Move:

• 3B Casey Blake to Utility
• U Jody Gerut to OF

Padres OF Jody Gerut had three hits, including his 11th homer, and three RBI in six at-bats Sunday against the Rockies. Gerut chased Livan Hernandez, making his Colorado debut, with a three-run homer in the third that put Colorado ahead 9-0. It was his fourth homer in six games. He also has eight RBI in that span. Gerut has not only been homer crazy as of late, he also has seven multi-hit games since July 23. Gerut has been on a nice tear since late July, but since he is not an everyday player, he remains more of a stopgap Fantasy option while he is hitting well. (CBS Sports)

Padres OF Jody Gerut homered for a third straight game Thursday as San Diego fell 5-3 to the Mets. Gerut’s 10th homer of the year tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the ninth. Gerut has been hitting very nicely over the last couple of weeks, and has six multi-hit efforts in his last 12 games. Still, he doesn’t play every day and only has use in NL-only leagues for the time being. If he keeps homering, however, the Padres will have to leave him in the lineup. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut went 1-for-5 with a home run in Wednesday’s win over the Mets. Gerut connected on Pedro Martinez’s first pitch for a solo homer, his ninth of the season and fifth in his last 16 games. He’s hitting .351 over that span to go along with five homers and 10 RBI. Unfortunately, he’s still in an outfield platoon, which limits his value mostly to NL-only leagues. (Rotowire)

Padres OF Jody Gerut hit a three-run homer off Mets SP Aaron Heilman in the ninth inning Tuesday, but it was not enough in a 6-5 loss. Gerut, who has eight homers sand 27 RBI, finished the game 3-for-5. He has four multi-hit games in his last six outings. Gerut continues to platoon in center field for the Padres. He has decent numbers for a platoon player, but since he doesn’t start everyday, he is primarily a NL-only Fantasy option. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut went 2-for-4 with a leadoff homer Wednesday night against Arizona. He has hit safely in seven of his last eight starts, going 13-for-31 with two doubles, three homers and six RBI. Gerut has pop in his bat and will play as much as he can stay productive at the plate. Consider him a sleeper in deeper leagues, most NL-only formats at this point while he’s going so well. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut’s leadoff homer Wednesday was his first of his career and the fourth this season by the Padres. Struggling closer Francisco Cordero came on and walked Jody Gerut to force in a run with two outs. Gerut has pop in his bat and will play as much as he can stay productive at the plate. Consider him a sleeper in deeper leagues, most NL-only formats at this point. (CBS Sports)

FAAB Acquisition:

• P Joe Blanton, Phillies [$21 bid, Add to Actives]

Up:

• P Jason Bergmann
• P Jason Marquis
• OF Jody Gerut (to Utility)

Down:

• P Seth McClung
• P Jaime Garcia
• P Josh Johnson
• 3B Blake DeWitt

Cut:

• P Jared Burton

Notes:

• I didn’t expect to with the bidding for Blanton, and was presented with a “oh, great” reaction when I saw I had acquired him.