The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen reports that Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (hip) will make his Grapefruit League debut on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays and will serve as the designated hitter. The Tigers hope to have Baez playing in the field by next week. Despite undergoing a labral repair on his right hip in September of last year, the 32-year-old veteran is expected to be ready for Opening Day in late March. However, given how bad Baez has been since joining the Tigers in 2022, he's not guaranteed to be the team's starting shortstop in 2025. The Puerto Rican infielder bottomed out in 2024 by hitting .184/.221/.294 with a career-worst .516 OPS, six home runs, 37 RBI, eight stolen bases and 69 strikeouts in 289 plate appearances over 80 games. In a best-case scenario, Baez could split playing time at the 6 with Trey Sweeney. You can ignore Baez in mixed fantasy leagues.

Detroit Tigers infielder/outfielder Matt Vierling (shoulder) is getting his right shoulder evaluated in camp and hasn't played in a Grapefruit League game since last Saturday. The severity of Vierling's shoulder injury is unclear at the moment, but we should get an update on the 28-year-old's condition soon and whether he'll have to miss more time in camp. If it's a serious injury, it will make a big impact on Detroit's lineup to open the 2025 season, as Vierling is projected to be a regular between third base and the outfield. The biggest beneficiary if Vierling were to miss any time would be Jace Jung at the hot corner. Vierling had his best fantasy showing in 2024 in his second year in the Motor City with a .257/.312/.423 slash line, 16 home runs, 57 RBI, six stolen bases and 80 runs scored in 144 regular-season games. However, he doesn't excel anywhere offensively and is more of a real-life asset for the Tigers because of his defensive versatility.

The New York Mets signed free-agent veteran right-hander Jose Urena to a minor-league deal on Thursday, and he is already in camp with the team. Urena essentially gives the Mets some starting-rotation insurance with both Frankie Montas (lat) and Sean Manaea (oblique) set to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. the 33-year-old Dominican debuted in the big leagues in 2015 with the Miami Marlins and has appeared in 232 games (152 starts) covering 948 1/3 innings with six different teams. He most recently appeared in 33 games (eight starts) with the Texas Rangers in 2024 and went 5-8 with a 3.80 ERA (4.62 FIP), a 1.32 WHIP, one save, 70 strikeouts and 39 walks. If Urena makes the team's Opening Day roster, he'll likely start out in the bullpen as a long reliever, which wouldn't give him any real fantasy value.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (ankle) played in his Cactus League debut on Thursday against the division-rival Colorado Rockies as the designated hitter with tape on his right ankle and expects to use the tape through the All-Star break, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. The tape on his ankle on Thursday wasn't as heavy as it was in the playoffs last fall, but it's an added precaution after he worked out for much of this spring without it. The 35-year-old veteran had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right ankle last December, but he's expected to be ready to go for Opening Day in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18 against the Chicago Cubs. Freeman initially struggled in the postseason last year after injuring his ankle late in the regular season, but the fact that he went off to win World Series MVP honors gives fantasy managers hope that his surgically repaired ankle won't give him problems in 2025. "It's good enough. I wish it felt like my left one. It was the first day I played with tape. I've been doing all my rehab stuff without tape because I didn't want to be relying on the tape. It felt a little weird running with the tape on, but I felt pretty good. I'm shooting to DH again Saturday and hopefully play (first base) Sunday," Freeman said.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder Jake Lamb (quadriceps) is dealing with tightness in his left quad. The 34-year-old was lifted from Thursday's spring training contest. The team is expected to provide an update on his status on Friday. Earlier in the offseason, Lamb signed a minor-league contract with the Giants that included an invite to spring training. Lamb spent the entire 2024 campaign playing in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He logged 98 games with Triple-A Indianapolis. Across this stint, Lamb posted a .264/.350/.393 line with 23 doubles, seven home runs, and 43:84 BB:K ratio. During the 2023 season, he logged 19 games with the Los Angeles Angels and held a .216/.259/.353 slash line. Fantasy managers should expect Lamb to continue to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster when he is cleared to return.