Chris Young Finally Decides to Wake Up

Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.

For about five months of the season, Diamondbacks outfielder Chris Young was a draft disaster. Those who picked him in fantasy leagues suffered through the nausea of a sub-.200 batting average and anemic power numbers. Where was the dude who hit 32 homers in 2007 and 22 in 2008? Absolutely nonexistent ... at least until the last four games.

Nice of you to show up Chris, where have ya been?

Young's three-homer outburst against Colorado last weekend must've reminded him what a power stroke feels like. Since that game, he's hit two more out of the park, including one against Los Angeles on Wednesday night. For the season, he only has a measly 12 bombs and a .198 average, but hey, better late than never.

If you're looking for an outfielder with four-category upside and missed out on the booming Garrett Jones bandwagon, give one of this season's flameouts another shot. It's not like there are tons of secrets hiding on the waiver wire at this point and Young seems motivated to prove to manager A.J. Hinch that he's not an albatross.

Bits From the Box Scores
• He's no Joe Mauer, but Arizona's Miguel Montero has been one of the best fantasy catchers since the All-Star break. We're talking about a .347 average, 9 homers, 34 RBI and 28 runs. Believe it or not, he's still available in 50 percent of standard mixed leagues.

• Julio Borbon scored another couple of runs as the Rangers' leadoff hitter. He's going to be one of the most valuable waiver-wire pickups over these final weeks if you're chasing stolen bases and runs.

• Fantastic season for Adam Wainwright, who picked up his 18th victory -- a career-high. With 175 strikeouts to go along with a 2.59 ERA, he's proven to be one of the biggest draft-day steals. After shutting down the Brewers for seven innings, his post-break ERA is 1.81. Money.

• Money, Part Deux: Wandy Rodriguez, who gave the Braves fits in a 2-1 Astros victory. Kudos if you waited on pitchers then drafted the likes of both Rodriguez and Wainwright this year. Rodriguez doesn't get as many wins, but has a sparkling 2.76 ERA and 168 strikeouts.

• Also going seven strong innings was Jeff Niemann -- the third straight time he has pitched a quality start of at least seven innings. He struck out eight and only walked one against the Yankees. He's emerged as a must-start in 12-team leagues and shouldn't be left on any waiver wires.

• Once again, incumbent closer Ryan Madson picks up a save for the Phillies against Washington. Adios, Brad Lidge. It's Madson Time.

• You should consider picking up Angel Pagan. Please, stop laughing. Did you know Pagan had six homers, five steals, 19 RBI and 19 runs in August? Oh, and he's hitting .378 over his last eight games. That's major multicategoricalicity, folks.

The Afflicted: The good news on Tim Lincecum is his back injury doesn't appear serious and he should return relatively soon. The bad news on Jake Peavy is that a return to the mound this season still looks iffy at best. Continue to roll with Franklin Morales as a solid closer, since Huston Street's biceps tendinitis will keep him out of action through the weekend. B.J. Upton will be sidelined several games due to a setback with his sprained left ankle. Rays manager Joe Maddon said they'll "have to rest him for a bit." If you needed a final reason to send Upton packing to the wire, there you go. Gerardo Parra is day-to-day with a sore leg. And for those of you who may care in keeper leagues, Mark DeRosa will undergo surgery in the offseason to repair a torn tendon sheath near his left wrist.

Welcome Back ... or Not: The Minnesota Twins activated Francisco Liriano from the 15-day disabled list. Too bad he's going right to the bullpen, where he'll further remind you why he's been completely useless in fantasy leagues this season.

Down on the Farm: Jeremy Hellickson reached double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time in his past five starts. Mighty impressive. The Tampa Bay prospect's K/9 rate in Triple-A ball is a monster 11.0.