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It's the starting pitching question I get asked most in fantasy chats at this time of year:

"Does Zack Greinke have compromising pictures of you?"

But that's neither here nor there. The second-most frequently asked question in fantasy chats at this time of year is:

"Which starters still in the minors will make a fantasy impact before the end of the '08 season?"

There's no definite answer to this one. Teams will weigh several factors when deciding whether to bring up their young pitchers, and no teams are going to tip their hands while the calendar still says July. Still, it pays to have your finger on the pulse of what's left in the bush leagues, so you'll be ready to pounce if and when the following guys get the call, whether it's for a few spot starts, bullpen work or a full-fledged spot in a big league rotation.

Francisco Liriano, Twins: He shouldn't be on this list, since he's still owned in 70 percent of ESPN.com leagues, but if he's available in yours, go get him. Tuesday night he pitched seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts for Triple-A Rochester; in his past five starts, his ERA is 0.26 and he's fanned 42 and walked four in 35 innings. The Twins continue to be in the thick of the AL Central, but they nonetheless are sticking with Livan Hernandez. Unless the team is dead set on not using any more of Liriano's service time (Liriano's agent has reportedly filed a grievance), expect to see this lefty in the bigs, and soon.

David Price, Rays: Price went six innings for Double-A Montgomery on Wednesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks (one intentional) while fanning six. Last year's No. 1 overall pick has appeared in only 12 minor league games and pitched 71 2/3 minor league innings in his career, but there's every reason to believe that the Rays will call him up in September, if not sooner. He'd be no guarantee for success -- no one on this list would be -- but you'd want to add him in all leagues just in case.

Gio Gonzalez, Athletics: Gonzalez and his major league-ready curveball have been traded three times without pitching in a big league game, and his results at Triple-A Sacramento have been mixed. But he's been stronger lately (he'd allowed just three runs and fanned 34 in his most recent 28 1/3 innings before having his start Tuesday rained out after one inning), and speculation after Joe Blanton left Oaktown was that Gonzalez would be his rotation replacement. That turned out not so: Dallas Braden got the call. But this lefty strikeout artist figures to get a look.

Max Scherzer, Diamondbacks: Yeah, him again. I tried to tell you not to go hog-wild after Scherzer made his scintillating debut in April and May, but many folks didn't listen (and didn't learn their lesson when Clayton Kershaw came up, either) and blew their No. 1 waiver pick on the young Arizona righty. Scherzer got demoted, had a "fatigued shoulder" at Triple-A and has been off fantasy radar screens. But now he's back -- he threw one-third of an inning in the minors Sunday -- and is still a good bet to join the big club later this year. The Diamondbacks could have a rotation spot available if Micah Owings continues to struggle or Randy Johnson gets hurt.

Carlos Rosa, Royals: Rosa got a cup of coffee with the big team in June, making two relief appearances before getting sent back to Triple-A Omaha. He throws hard, is a Tommy John survivor and has looked good in three of four starts since his demotion. There's no reason for Kansas City to mess around with this guy as a reliever, because it's going hurt him. If he comes back as a starter, he might be worth a look in AL-only leagues.

Ian Kennedy, Yankees: I'm absolutely not sold on Kennedy as a long-term prospect. Outside of a nice changeup, Kennedy just doesn't have any above-average pitches, and has to be perfect with his control to be effective. He's a No. 4 starter, and I think the Yankees are deluding themselves if they think he's more than that. Regardless, though, Kennedy is back in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple-A rotation, and as he's pitched more, he's gotten sharper. He's scheduled to throw tonight, and given the problems that loom at the back end of the New York rotation, I won't be surprised to see him back up. I just don't expect that much.

David Huff, Indians: Huff, an '06 first-rounder, is another relatively soft-tossing lefty with a skill set much like Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers. Huff has 50 strikeouts and five walks since getting promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, and the Tribe have nothing to lose by giving him a shot, though I wouldn't expect better results than Laffey and Sowers have had lately.

Daryl Thompson, Reds: I'd have Thompson higher here, but he just went on the Triple-A DL with a strained shoulder. The Reds don't seem to think it's serious, but he's shelved for the moment. He made a three-start cameo in Cincinnati earlier this year and remains on track to get a shot to make the Reds' rotation next year. If he's healthy and shows he's strong again at Triple-A Louisville, his next chance could come sooner than that.

Fausto Carmona will make his long-awaited return Saturday night against the Twins. Carmona has missed just mroe than two months with an injured hip. Matt Ginter figures to be bumped from the Indians rotation. … Erik Bedard underwent an MRI Tuesday, and the test revealed an "internal impingement," according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Bedard couldn't throw on consecutive days this weekend and is currently on the DL with no timetable for his return. … Jered Weaver left his Tuesday night start after only three innings because of soreness in his back. If he has to miss a turn, the Angels would likely go with Dustin Moseley in Weaver's place, though late Wednesday the Angels indicated on their official Web site that they were hopeful Weaver would make his next start. … Tim Hudson pitched six scoreless innings Wednesday night but came out of the Braves' game against the Marlins. He posted his 11th win but had thrown only 68 pitches when Bobby Cox removed him because of tightness in his pitching elbow, which doesn't sound good at all. You'll note I've dropped Hudson precipitously in my rankings this week. If it turns out he's all right, I'll have him right back up in the top 20 again next week. … Shaun Marcum returned from the DL Tuesday after missing more than a month with a sore pitching elbow. Unfortunately, Marcum got drilled, allowing six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Orioles, including three homers. Marcum has terrific overall numbers, but remember that he wore down big time in the second half last year. … Pedro Martinez threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday and was expected to pitch against the Cardinals on Saturday. Unfortunately, his father passed away, so he might have to skip that next turn. … Roy Oswalt officially went on the DL retroactive to July 12 because of his hip problems. The Astros told the Houston Chronicle they "hope" Oswalt can make his next start Monday, and the veteran righty had a good bullpen session Wednesday. … Padres manager Bud Black told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Chris Young may skip a third rehab start and pitch for the big league club as early as Tuesday against Arizona. … Brett Myers is back from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and started last night against the Mets. He went five innings, throwing 95 pitches, and allowed three runs, three hits, five walks and struck out two. On one positive note, he didn't allow any homers, which has been his bugaboo so far in '08. … The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Aaron Harang felt good throwing a side session on Tuesday, but that he'll still have to test his injured forearm several more times before considering a timetable for his return from the DL. … The Astros traded a minor prospect to the Padres for free-agent-to-be Randy Wolf, and GM Ed Wade subsequently told the Houston Chronicle that he made the deal because he believes Wolf is healthy and that he wants to re-sign the pitcher for next year. Moving from the Padres to the Astros probably crushes Wolf's fantasy value. … Joe Blanton was traded from the A's to the Phillies for three minor leaguers and picked right up where he left off against the Mets on Tuesday. Which is to say, he didn't pitch well. Blanton allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in six innings against the Mets and was on track to get his major league-leading 13th loss before the Phillies rallied late. … Jeff Suppan returned from the DL and pitched well Tuesday night: seven innings, eight hits and three runs. Meanwhile, the Brewers plan on "sharing" a rotation spot between Dave Bush and Seth McClung. McClung got Monday's start and threw pretty well: five innings, five hits, two walks and two runs. The team has discussed using either McClung or Bush as its fifth starter depending on matchups. … Kevin Millwood came out of his start Wednesday because of a sore groin. Remember, a groin injury put Millwood on the DL in May. … The Miami Herald reports that Andrew Miller, who's currently on the DL with knee soreness, is receiving the same "shock wave treatment" that Dwyane Wade did during the most recent NBA season. The Marlins have Anibal Sanchez set to return from the DL against the Mets Tuesday, and there's speculation Miller will be out for as much as another month. … Jose Contreras is on the DL for the White Sox because of tendinitis in his pitching forearm. He threw a side session Tuesday and felt good, and the team is hopeful Contreras will return before the end of July. Meanwhile, the White Sox gave Clayton Richard his first major league start Wednesday afternoon, and he struck out seven while walking one, but gave up five runs in four innings. He'll start again next week. … Clayton Kershaw returned from the minors to start Tuesday night's game for the Dodgers but got rocked again. He allowed 10 hits and three walks in three-plus innings against the Rockies. Meanwhile, Jason Schmidt experienced more soreness in his surgically repaired pitching shoulder and needed an injection. He's looking less and less likely to contribute this year. … The Rangers activated Vicente Padilla from the DL Sunday, and Padilla pitched seven shutout innings against the Twins in his return. Meanwhile, rookie hurler Eric Hurley, on the DL with a hamstring problem, is set to return to the Rangers rotation Sunday against the A's. … Mike Hampton may come off the DL Saturday to face the Phillies, according to the Braves' official Web site. Either Jo-Jo Reyes or Charlie Morton would lose his rotation spot.

Jeff Francis continues to rehab a sore right shoulder. He went 3 2/3 innings in his first start for Double-A Tulsa and will go again this Saturday. The Rockies will reassess him after that. … White Sox prospect Jack Egbert walked no one, struck out five and allowed two runs in six innings Tuesday for Triple-A Charlotte. Egbert had a rough start to '08 but has turned around the past month. He was considered a better bet than Clayton Richard to get a promotion this year, but Richard has bypassed him in the White Sox hierarchy. … The Blue Jays are sending Jesse Litsch to Triple-A and bringing up David Purcey again. Purcey was awful in two big league starts early this year, but has struck out 121 hitters in 117 innings for Triple-A Syracuse this season. … Jonathan Meloan fanned seven in six innings for Triple-A Las Vegas Sunday, allowing just one run. Meloan was viewed as a possible big league reliever in '08, but when he didn't make the Dodgers, he went back to being a starter in the minors. Unfortunately, he's walked 60 in 105 innings, which means he's still got work to do. … Phillies GM Pat Gillick told the Philadelphia Inquirer he's not planning on having Kris Benson pitch in the majors this year. Benson currently has an 8.53 ERA in four Triple-A starts. … Bruce Billings, who's pitching for Class A Asheville in the Colorado organization, threw a no-hitter Wednesday night. Billings isn't currently considered a top-notch prospect, but hey, give the kid a little love.

Christopher Harris is a fantasy baseball, football and racing analyst for ESPN.com. He is a six-time Fantasy Sports Writing Association award winner. You can e-mail him here.