By Mike Bornhorst, Special to SI.com

Heads-up to all you hardcore fantasy baseball players -- Baseball America's Kevin Goldstein will be the special guest during this week's Premium Chat session (Thursday, 10 pm ET) on TalentedMrRoto.com. Kevin is one of the pre-eminent writers for one of the sport's premiere publications. It's a chat you don't want to miss.

Heading Up

With Mike Sweeney expected to get traded, Justin Huber (above) could get plenty of at-bats in '05. Nick Laham/Getty Images

Jose Lopez (Shortstop/Second Baseman, Seattle Mariners): Meet the next middle infielder to eventually price himself out of the Mariners' future plans: Jose Lopez. I've talked up Lopez before -- and he's only gotten better since then. One of Seattle's top prospects, the 21-year-old was called up for a cup of coffee in 2004, but by coupling Lopez's hot start with the beginning of the end of Bret Boone, it looks like the youngster could be here to stay. His track record in the minors features a nice mix of power and speed -- including an eye-catching inaugural 39 HR/31 SB season in Class A two years ago. Ten home runs and 10 stolen bases between now and the end of the season could happen. If your fantasy team needs a middle infielder, here's your guy.

Justin Huber (First Base, Kansas City Royals): Regular readers are already familiar with Huber, but like Lopez, he's up in the bigs. Unlike Lopez's situation, this looks to be more of a temp gig for Huber. However, Mike Sweeney's never been confused for Lou Gehrig so Huber's stay with the Royals could be longer than the current two-week estimate. Huber's hit for power at every minor league stop along the way, but he's had only 16 at-bats at the Class AAA level before this promotion, so he might need a little more seasoning. Make a play on Huber if you're in a keeper league, in need of Sweeney insurance, or looking for a corner infielder in a tight AL-only league.

Jerome Williams (Starting Pitcher, Chicago Cubs): A top-shelf pitching prospect in the Giants' system, Williams suffered though an elbow injury in 2004 that ultimately cost him almost two months of the season. The right-hander then struggled to regain his footing in the organization and never really got back on track. Now with the Cubs, it's beginning to look like Williams is responding to the change of scenery: a 2.22 ERA in 24 innings at Class AAA Iowa. Considering the M*A*S*H unit that passes for a starting rotation in Chicago, a few strong outings by Williams could translate into job security for the remainder of 2005. He's worth a flyer.

Brian Daubach (First Base, New York Mets): Not to say "I told you so," but I told you Daubach would get back to the majors. It's been some time since Doug Mientkiewicz had any real offensive value. Unfortunately for the fans at Shea, it took the Mets' brass two and a half months to figure this out. Daubach's production at Class AAA (.356 AVG/.434 OBP/.629 SLG) suggests he still has some pop left in his bat.

Sean Henn (Starting Pitcher, New York Yankees): Henn is back again. I think he has the potential to do more harm than good to your pitching staff. Tread carefully.

Dan Miceli (Relief Pitcher, Colorado Rockies): Here's why the "saves" category stinks -- it requires you to pay attention to 34-year-old middle relievers pitching 1,000 feet above sea level. With 11 Major League seasons under his belt, Dan Miceli is a name most baseball fans know and -- let's be honest -- want to forget. Well, now Miceli's back in the big leagues, after six short innings at Class AAA. Though a few years removed from being useful, Miceli has had success pitching from the pen in the past. If Brian Fuentes goes down for an extended period of time, Miceli might be worth a $1 flyer.

Heating Up

Conor Jackson (First Base, Class AAA, Arizona Diamondbacks):  Jackson is in the midst of his second full season of pro ball, and judging by the .384 AVG/.467 OBP/.597 SLG he's racked up at Class AAA, it looks like this former college stand-out (Cal) is ready to graduate to the Majors. Where the Diamondbacks plan to play Jackson is unclear -- he played first in college but was initially shifted to the outfield after being drafted by Arizona. The Snakes have since returned Conor to the infield, where his defense is considerably stronger. Jackson's power is still developing (only six home runs this season) but his bat is strong enough to justify playing this 23-year-old just about anywhere; his position in the big leagues will come down to where Arizona's greatest need happens to be, as well as how fellow star prospect Carlos Quentin progresses in Arizona's system. Bottom line: if you can stash players away, quit reading and put a claim in for Jackson pronto. Next year at the draft, you're gonna have to pay for this kid.

Scott Baker (Starting Pitcher, Class AAA, Minnesota Twins): Baker is just about ready. Last year the righty pitched at three different levels, dominating at Class A and AA (2.40 ERA) before laboring through nine starts at Class AAA (4.97 ERA, 1.47 RATIO). He's returned to form in AAA this year -- 2.75 ERA, 1.11 RATIO, 5/17 K/BB. He'll likely spend the remainder of the season at Class AAA, but he's worth grabbing if he gets a call-up.

Dioner Navarro (Catcher, Class AAA, Los Angeles Dodgers): Navarro came to the Dodgers last season in the wake of a trade that still has sports-radio callers in Los Angeles bellyaching -- "you think if we still had LoDuca that Gagne wouldn't have blown out his elbow?" -- with the promise of being the Dodgers' "catcher of the future." One year later the jury's still out. Navarro's Class AAA numbers look good -- .303 AVG/.408 OBP/.442 SLG -- but taken in the context of the hitter-friendly PCL they start to look a lot more ordinary. Which isn't to say that Navarro won't have a career in the bigs, but his impact may not live up to expectations.

Joey Devine (Relief Pitcher, Class A, Atlanta Braves): Braves Bullpen Gets Devine Intervention! Mark my words, very soon there's going to be a sports page unable to resist that headline. Devine was Atlanta's first-round pick in the 2005 draft with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, the team had the next Huston Street on its hands. Devine was a closer on the N.C. State baseball team, using his hard slider and somewhat sidearm delivery to strike out 72 batters in 48 innings. With another year of NCAA eligibility, Devine's signing with the Braves wasn't a certainty. Then Atlanta realized it still had Danny Kolb in their bullpen and threw a truckload of money Devine's way. The young right-hander signed and reported to (High) Class A. Devine could be given a shot at grabbing the closer's job in Atlanta as early as spring 2006.

Joel Zumaya (Starting Pitcher, Class AA, Detroit Tigers): This might be the season Zumaya puts it all together. That's not meant to sound as harsh as it reads -- being 20 years old, the righty is young for his level. But in light of his 3.32 ERA and 113/44 K/BB ratio, I think it's safe to say the numbers now justify the long-standing belief that Zumaya has the top arm in the Tigers' organization. He's sort of your textbook hard-thrower -- he compliments his moving fastball with a breaking ball while flirting with 100 MPH on the gun. Racking up strikeouts at Class AA, Detroit might be tempted to give him a taste of the Majors later this season; should this happen, keep his age and limited track record in mind before setting expectations.

Deric Barton (First Base, Class A, Oakland A's): Part of the package deal that sent Mark Mulder to St. Louis, Barton is a recovering catcher now playing first base in the A's system. Too bad he's not still catching, his .298 AVG/.422 OBP/.435 SLG would look a whole lot better. Barton's yeoman like performance in the minors suggests a steady rise to the top, but with the emerging Dan Johnson there to block his path, it could take Barton a little while to get to the big leagues.

Delmon Young (Outfield, Class AA, Tampa Bay Devil Rays): The premiere hitting prospect in the minors, Young's been hyped by yours truly before. I just wanted to point out that this 19-year-old has slugged 16 homers and stolen 22 bases, while putting up .335 AVG/.394 OBP/.581 SLG. He should be on your team.

Healing Up

Seattle fans and keeper-leaguers breathed a sigh of relief when the mysterious "shoulder troubles" that recently plagued Felix Hernandez turned out to be mild bursitis. This being said, any arm woe to a teenage pitcher is enough to give owners pause. Hernandez is expected to be shut down for at least 10 games, and with the All-Star game the annual start to the fantasy fire-sale season this is a situation keeper leaguers should keep an eye on.

The Royals expect Denny Bautista to begin a rehab assignment in Class AAA this week. While this has the potential to effect the Kansas City rotation, this rehab assignment should have little fantasy impact either way.

Mike Bornhorst is a minor league talent columnist for TalentedMrRoto.com, a fantasy sports site specializing in analysis, stats and advice. Include name and location when e-mailing to Mike@TalentedMrRoto.com.