STARTING HURT

As we go to press, the following players will almost certainly begin the year on the DL, many of them with injuries that will cause them to be placed on the 60-day DL. Others will probably join them before Opening Day, which for most clubs is a week from tomorrow, March 31st.

When making your 40-man rosters, be advised that players who start the season on the DL do not have to count against your roster. You can wait until they are healthy to decide if you want to clear a roster spot for them, or else trade them to another club, or release them. But keep in mind if you do keep them on the DL, they count against your salary cap.

LHP Mike Gonzalez
RHP Chris Ray
LHP Troy Patton
RHP Curt Schilling
RHP Joel Zumaya
RHP Anibal Sanchez
RHP John Lackey
RHP Kelvim Escobar
IF Nomar Garciaparra
3B Andy LaRoche
LHP CHris Capuano
OF Mike Cameron
RHP Yovanni Gallardo
RHP Clay Hensley
RHP Mark Prior
LHP Noah Lowry
LHP Mark Mulder
RHP Chris Carpenter
LHP Scott Kazmir
OF Rocco Baldelli
RHP Brandon McCarthy
RHP Shawn Hill