The Lineup is here to dish out fantasy insight on all things baseball. Here are five storylines you should be following this week:

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is frustrated. The 2006 AL batting champion wants to get back on the field, but his injured leg is cramping his style. The St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that, "the quadriceps muscle that bothered him throughout April, became more intensely painful in early May and has taken nearly four weeks, and counting, to return to normal." There is no timetable for Mauer's return, something that is disconcerting to the Twins and fantasy players alike. It is important to remember that Mauer has had his season jeopardized by injury before. A knee injury kept him out of the Twins lineup throughout the 2004 campaign, when he played only 35 games. Mauer was hitting .353 this season before suffering the leg ailment. It remains to be seen what the next move is for the talented backstop. The Twins are not going to risk playing him hurt, as he is a franchise player who just signed a big four-year contract this past February. That means that fantasy owners may have to get used to not seeing Mauer on the field. Monitor his situation this week to see if he progresses, but it seems like this might be a headache that fantasy owners are going to have to endure for the foreseeable future.

Break out the Drew Carey glasses as the Cleveland Indians look to have a fantasy-friendly week of baseball against the Kansas City Royals at home and the Cincinnati Reds on the road. Starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia is an obvious must-start against the Royals as he is 11-6 lifetime against Kansas City with a 3.34 ERA. Right-handed pitcher Fausto Carmona looks to continue his strong 2007 with a start against the Royals; Carmona has not allowed more than three runs since April 13. But the most intriguing starting pitcher on the Indians this week is Paul Byrd. Byrd is a two-start pitcher this week and has won his last five decisions. Feel free letting the Byrd-man fly for your fantasy roster. On the offensive side of things, popular waiver-wire addition and starting first baseman Ryan Garko should stay hot this week against Royals; Garko hit .333 against them last season with two homers in just six games. Laboring through a rough May, DH Travis Hafner will look to get back on track against Kansas City as he feasted on Royals pitching in 2006 to the tune of a .340 average, 4 homers and 17 RBI in 15 games. Those of you who have been frustrated with the play of second baseman Josh Barfield could benefit greatly from the match-up against the Reds, he hit .318 against them last season while playing for the San Diego Padres. All in all, it looks like nothing is going to slow down the red-hot Indians.

The San Francisco Giants were able to get rid of a giant headache as MLB.com reported that, "Late Thursday night, the [Florida] Marlins announced they've acquired [Armando] Benitez from the Giants for reliever Randy Messenger." Benitez owners should fret, Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez has stated that Kevin Gregg will remain the closer despite the trade. So unless Gregg, who is 6-for-6 in save opportunities, begins to struggle, it seems like Benitez will be used primarily in a set-up role. That leaves us to San Francisco. No official closer has been named for the Giants, meaning that they will probably toy around with possibilities for the time being. The short-term answer for saves points to Brad Hennessey, who is having a nice season (1-1. 2.82 ERA, 2 saves). Unfortunately, when the Giants gave him the chance to close games in 2006, he blew it mdash; hitters batted .290 against him in the ninth inning. Should Hennessey flounder in the role, it becomes anyone's guess. The newly-acquired Messenger would be an interesting play as he is has a burly, intimidating presence on the mound. The Giants might even pull a Charlie Manuel and let starter-turned-reliever Russ Ortiz get a shot at ninth inning work. Right now, it is anybody's guess. Fantasy owners should nab Hennessey if they want the early favorite.

Normally, a player who has multiple-position eligibility, speed and a spot at the top of an American League lineup has all sorts of fantasy value. That may have been the case a year ago, but these days, Los Angeles Angels utility player Chone Figgins has been a bust with a capital "B." The Los Angeles Times had reported on Monday that, "Erick Aybar, who filled in capably for injured second baseman Howie Kendrick, began taking live grounders at third Monday, an indication Chone Figgins' hold on the third base job might be tenuous." This week, Figgins has seen Aybar start ahead of him at third, leaving fantasy owners wondering what the future holds in store. It is not like Figgins is making it hard for manager Mike Scioscia at this point, he is batting an atrocious .133 and has only stolen three bags in 25 games. This is about as bad as it gets, but don't cut ties with Figgins just yet, after all, the man has stolen 57-plus bases the past three years and was dealing with broken fingers earlier in the year. He is a unique talent and a valuable asset to fantasy teams when he's on his game, but until he can show that he can play like he has in years past, bench him. See if he enters the starting lineup regularly this week or if Aybar continues to take his starts. Should Figgins start calling the bench his home, fantasy owners may begin to consider cutting him loose.

Look who's trying to prove his critics wrong. Dismissed to the fantasy trash heap over a month ago, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jason Schmidt is looking to eventually return to the mound. The Los Angeles Times revealed, "Schmidt took a giant step Wednesday toward returning to the Dodgers rotation, throwing six shutout innings in a rehab start for Class-A Inland Empire in San Bernardino…the right-hander gave up only two hits and struck out seven." Perhaps the most encouraging news is that Schmidt was able to reach 91 mph on the radar gun. Considering that he wasn't even throwing in the high 80s consistently earlier in the season, this is quite impressive. If he could build up more arm strength, he might even be able to throw a bit harder. It is likely that Schmidt may be resting on your waiver wire right now. So if you have the roster space and flexibility, The Lineup suggests taking a flier on the veteran.