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Perhaps the Phillies are rethinking moving Brett Myers back into the rotation?

I'm not counting on Myers returning to the closer's role, but with news that Brad Lidge needs another surgery on his right knee, fantasy owners might be curious whether that's the arrangement we'll see on Opening Day. Lidge will miss three to six weeks following surgery Monday, a result of catching a spike while throwing batting practice on Saturday. Back in October, he had an operation to repair cartilage in the same knee.

A three- to six-week timetable puts Lidge's return as soon as March 17, or at late as April 7, the second week of the regular season. In other words, even if he's back on the mound by the next-to-last week of spring training, Lidge is almost certainly headed to the disabled list to begin the 2008 season, even if only for a few days.

Manager Charlie Manuel has already said that Tom Gordon, not Myers, will stand in for Lidge on Opening Day. That demonstrates both the Phillies' commitment to Myers as a starter and a lack of concern on their part that Lidge will miss significant regular-season time. Don't be surprised if he's back in the closer's role by mid-April.

In other words, bump Lidge down a bit, but not significantly. This might mean only a round or two, or a couple of bucks' difference at the draft table. As for Gordon, he's a more important handcuff to get, and a decent short-term saves bet in early April.

• The Red Sox, in the hunt for starting pitching depth with Curt Schilling out for perhaps half the season, signed Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract on Sunday, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. How fitting: One health risk gets replaced with another, more significant health risk. Don't believe that? Well, there's a reason it has taken this long for Colon to sign somewhere. The Mets, White Sox, Cardinals and Astros all had been linked to the 2005 Cy Young award winner -- isn't it incredible that Colon has a Cy Young, but Schilling does not? -- yet backed off due to concerns about the condition of his arm. Colon will probably begin the year in Triple-A as insurance against further injuries, though he might get a chance to unseat Jon Lester or Clay Buchholz for the back two rotation spots with a standout spring. As Colon has a 5.90 ERA and 1.56 WHIP the past two years combined, the Red Sox really shouldn't be hoping for that.

• Adam Lind's sleeper status took a hit Sunday, when Shannon Stewart signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, his original team. Though Stewart isn't a lock to make the Opening Day roster, but his presence clutters the left-field picture, which also includes Reed Johnson and Matt Stairs. There's a good chance a straight platoon, with Stairs pairing with the winner of a Johnson-Stewart battle, will be the result, leaving Lind to play another year in the minors. It's a shame; Lind batted .276 with 10 homers in 294 at-bats between Triple-A Syracuse and the Blue Jays from July 1 forward last year.

• Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he envisions Justin Morneau as his cleanup hitter, a position the slugger manned only in 2007 when either Michael Cuddyer or Joe Mauer was hurt. That's an indication that Mauer might be slotted in at No. 2, though Gardenhire stopped short of handing his catcher that spot. The Twins' ideal lineup might run Jason Kubel-Mauer-Cuddyer-Morneau-Delmon Young, something that surely would help Morneau's and Young's RBI totals.

• John Smoltz will make only two or three starts during spring training games, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He's hoping to spend the rest of the time pitching simulated games against the team's minor leaguers, allowing him to work on improving his changeup, sinker and curveball. Veterans like Smoltz might be better off less exposed in the preseason, and besides, most need only a couple of starts to be regular-season ready, anyway. Don't worry if you don't see him on the mound much.

• Raise the warning flags on Mark Buehrle, who was scratched from a Sunday appearance in an intrasquad game. Not that one missed game should cause you to radically alter your draft sheets, but keep your eye on his first scheduled spring training start, set for Friday. Buehrle merely complained of soreness on Sunday, and he's day-to-day, but it's rarely a good thing when a pitcher kicks off the spring with health issues.

• Here's one to get the fantasy juices flowing: Bret Boone was promoted from minor league camp to major league camp by the Nationals on Sunday, according to The Washington Post. I'm being sarcastic, of course, but this officially puts Boone in contention for a roster spot, most likely a bench role. NL-only owners shouldn't want him, as both Ron Belliard and Felipe Lopez are better second-base candidates, but they'll have another combatant for the next month. Hey, stranger things have happened than Boone perhaps making a team this spring. Sammy Sosa cracked the Rangers' roster a year ago, though no one would have expected it around this time.

• Though the Braves' current plan has Chuck James making his spring debut on March 20, the team's official Web site reported Sunday that the left-hander might be ahead of that schedule in his recovery from a slight tear in his rotator cuff. He'll be at risk for a setback all season, though, and should be watched closely all spring. NL-only owners are the only ones who should be gambling on James.

• According to the San Jose Mercury News, Athletics manager Bob Geren plans to use Emil Brown as his starting left fielder. With Chris Denorfia slated for center field and Travis Buck in right, Jack Cust will have to battle Mike Sweeney and Dan Johnson for at-bats at designated hitter. Brown isn't a great choice for an everyday role -- his splits say he'd be better sitting against right-handers -- so avoid him if you can.

• Lance Berkman will miss a week after straining an oblique muscle while batting left-handed, according to the Houston Chronicle. It's nothing that should cause him to miss regular-season time, but keep tabs on him, as these kinds of things often can take longer than expected to heal. For Berkman, anything that limits his hitting from the left side of the plate warrants concern. He batted .265 with an .800 OPS from that side in 2007, compared to .282/.926 right-handed, and has 41 fewer batting average points and 223 fewer OPS points from the right side than the left in his big league career.

• Tigers manager Jim Leyland told The Detroit News that he plans to bat Ivan Rodriguez eighth to begin the season. That means a probable left-field platoon of Jacque Jones and Marcus Thames would bat ninth, leading to back-to-back left-handed hitters on days Jones starts; Curtis Granderson will lead off. With the exception of Jones, Rodriguez might be the least appealing fantasy choice of the Tigers' starting nine, with his dreadful on-base percentage and declining power. Don't be shocked if he slips out of the top 10 catchers for fantasy, especially since he'll hurt for RBIs in the No. 8 hole.

Tristan H. Cockcroft covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.