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Remember when Mike Mussina was supposed to be the weak link in the Yankees' rotation?

Don't get me wrong: Moose hasn't been great in '08. He's lasting an average of 5 1/3 innings per start and has a 4.73 ERA, but he's got three wins, has walked only five and thus has a WHIP of 1.27. It ain't good, but it ain't Phil Hughes.

Hughes, to be blunt, has been atrocious. In his six starts, he's allowed the league to hit .362 off him, and has given up 22 runs, 34 hits and 13 walks in just 22 innings. That leaves his ERA at 9.00 and his WHIP at 2.14 which is Matt Morris-bad. Remember when Joba Chamberlain was going to fly to the rescue in July to relieve Mussina of his rotation duties? I mean, Joba's a big guy, but it doesn't seem likely he'd be able to fill two starting spots, does it?

Word came Wednesday night that the Yankees have put Hughes on the DL because of a strained oblique. I'm not sure if Cashman was speaking before or after he discovered Hughes was hurt, but ESPN.com news sources reported that after Hughes got beaten up by the Tigers on Tuesday, Cashman said: "We obviously went through a tough time last night and he's struggling, so we've had some discussions earlier today and we'll get together and have some further ones."

To me, that sounds like maybe Cashman was already considering getting Hughes out of his rotation regardless of any injury, but at this point one supposes it doesn't matter. The phenom is on the shelf, perhaps for as long as a month if we include rehab time, and maybe we have an explanation for some of the decreased velocity on his four-seamer this spring.

But make no mistake: I still believe Hughes will be a fantasy asset at some point this year (and that's to say nothing of his still-great career arc). Why do I think this? I saw him throw last season. Specifically, I saw that curveball. It's just a vicious pitch, and when he's right, he throws it for strikes and misses bats. He's not a super-hard thrower (he'll live in the 92 to 95 range), but his minor league history is one of good strikeout totals and good strikeout-to-walk ratios, so he should display more command -- and I think he'll do it soon. Before word of his DL stint broke, Hughes was owned in only about a third of ESPN.com leagues, and that number will certainly nosedive in the next day or two. But if your league has a DL spot, I'd pick up Hughes and keep him rent-free for a bit, and see what happens. Yes, he's proving to be a bit injury prone, but I still believe that by season's end, he'll have turned out to be a fantasy asset.

Closing the loop on Hughes, as of this writing the Yankees hadn't announced who'd take Hughes' turn in the rotation Sunday, but Newsday guessed it would be Darrell Rasner, who won the International League Pitcher of the Week award last week. … John Smoltz is on the DL with a sore shoulder, and when he comes back, it will be as a reliever, likely for the rest of the season. Speculation is that Smoltz could get save opportunities. … Scott Kazmir will come off the DL and face the Red Sox in Boston on Sunday. Because of his past success against the Sox (career 2.66 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .218 BAA, 118 K in 101 1/3 innings), I'd get him active right away. … The Diamondbacks expect Micah Owings to make his scheduled start Friday despite his sprained ankle. It's worth noting that Owings slammed a pinch-hit homer against the Astros on Wednesday. … Scott Baker had to leave his start last Saturday with a strained groin, but said Wednesday he's on track not to miss a start and will face the Tigers on Saturday. … Big-time Rockies starter prospect, Franklin Morales, crapped out at the major league level this spring after a very good eight-start audition at the end of '07; so far this year, he's got a 6.39 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP in the bigs. Colorado sent him to the minors this week, and either Josh Towers or recently-acquired Jorge De la Rosa is expected to replace him. … Garrett Olson got a callup Tuesday for the Orioles and beat the Rays, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings in place of Adam Loewen, who's on the DL with soreness in his pitching elbow. Baltimore hasn't announced whether Olson will stay in the rotation. … Tom Glavine came off the first DL stint of his career Tuesday and allowed two runs in six innings against the Nationals. He still doesn't have a win, but overall has pitched better than expected. … The Brewers sent down Dave Bush to their Triple-A affiliate in Nashville in order to activate Mike Cameron from the DL on Tuesday. Ned Yost told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he expected Bush's stay on the farm to be brief, but he did choose to exile Bush from the Brewers' rotation over Manny Parra. … Wandy Rodriguez, who's been battling a strained groin, is scheduled to come off the DL on Monday for the Astros. … The Giants sent Barry Zito to their bullpen. That actually enhances his fantasy value given that he can't kill you quite as badly as he's done so far. … Jason Jennings will be placed on the DL today with soreness in his forearm. That might affect the Rangers' plans, but hopefully it doesn't affect your fantasy ones.

Francisco Liriano pitched poorly for Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings and leaving the bases loaded on exiting the game (the bullpen got him out of the jam with no further damage). He's not coming back up in the next week or two, at least. … Nick Adenhart threw another gem Sunday for Triple-A Salt Lake: eight innings, no earned runs, five strikeouts, three hits, three walks. He currently sits at a 0.87 ERA in five starts, though his 19 strikeouts to 15 walks isn't great. Once the John Lackey situation resolves itself (Lackey is still rehabbing, but is considered just a couple weeks away), Adenhart is probably the next guy up if the Angels need another starter. … David Purcey probably isn't an elite prospect anymore for the Blue Jays; the 2004 16th-overall pick has suffered from shaky mechanics and control for much of his career, but he's been very strong so far at Triple-A Syracuse: 1.64 ERA, 39 K in 33 innings. At age 26, he wouldn't be the only late-blooming Jays' pitching prospect to make good. If Toronto needs a starter at some point this season, Purcey would probably get first call. … The No. 1 overall pick from the '07 draft, David Price, threw batting practice Tuesday for the first time since suffering some mild elbow discomfort, and came through all right. The Rays' prospect is expected to throw several extended spring games before finally getting sent out to Class A Vero Beach. He's looking like a longer and longer shot to get a cup of coffee in Tampa this year. … Claudio Vargas struck out six and allowed three hits and no walks in a Class A start Monday, his first with the Mets as he tries to get ready to join the big club later in May. He has a ways to go, but there's still a decent chance he's ready for the majors before Orlando Hernandez, and replaces either Nelson Figueroa or Mike Pelfrey. … The Boston Globe reports that Bartolo Colon will not exercise his "out" clause, which would've allowed him to leave the Red Sox by May 1 if he wasn't in the majors. Colon's timetable was delayed by a short stint on the minor league DL, but he still seems like a good bet to get at least a start or two for the Sox in May.