The New York Mets have placed right-handed pitcher Sean Reid-Foley on waivers. Reid-Foley signed a one-year contract with the Mets earlier in the offseason to avoid arbitration. Last season, the 29-year-old was enjoying a strong start to his 2024 campaign as he held a 1.66 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP through 21 2/3 innings. He tallied 25 punchouts and generated a stellar .198 xBA. However, his season was eventually cut short by a shoulder injury in late June. During his lone appearance in spring training, his velocity was down, which raised some concern. This transaction now opens a spot on the 40-man roster. If Reid-Foley can continue to show improvement before the regular season, he could draw interest as a middle reliever on waivers. Through 131 2/3 career innings in the majors, the right-hander has held a 4.10 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP.

The Chicago Cubs are signing right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte to a minor-league contract. Almonte spent the 2024 campaign with the Cubs and will reunite with his former club. Last season, Almonte logged 15 2/3 innings of work with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He tallied 20 strikeouts but held a high 11.9 percent walk rate. He generated an elite .199 xBA and a 32.4 percent hard-hit rate. His season was cut short in July when he underwent season-ending surgery. Fantasy managers should expect Almonte to slowly ramp up his workload as he works his way back from the operation. However, he is not expected to return until later in the 2025 season. As a result, Almonte will likely open the season in the minor leagues and could eventually work his way back to the major leagues.

The New York Mets reassigned right-handed pitching prospect Brandon Sproat, the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, to minor-league camp on Tuesday. In addition to Sproat, the Mets also reassigned right-handers Ty Adcock, Adbert Alzolay, Dom Hamel (No. 26), Oliver Ortega and Blade Tidwell (No. 16), infielders Ryan Clifford (No. 4), Luke Ritter and Jett Williams (No. 2), outfielders Drew Gilbert (No. 11), Rafael Ortega and Alex Ramirez, and catcher Kevin Parada. Sproat is expected to make his big-league debut with the Mets in 2025, but even with left-hander Sean Manaea (oblique) and right-hander Frankie Montas (lat) opening the year on the injured list, he will start at Triple-A Syracuse. In his Grapefruit League debut last Friday against the Nationals, Sproat tossed two scoreless innings with a strikeout. The 24-year-old is old for a prospect, but his fastball-changeup combo and strikeout upside make him stash-worthy in NL-only leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Michael Kopech (forearm) was set to throw a bullpen session at camp on Tuesday. Kopech is behind the other pitchers at spring training due to right-forearm inflammation that he dealt with in the offseason. While nothing is determined just yet, there's a good chance Kopech won't be available for the season-opening two-game series in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18 and 19 against the Chicago Cubs, and the hard-throwing 28-year-old could also open the regular season in the U.S. on the injured list. The former 33rd overall pick by the Boston Red Sox back in 2014 was very sharp in his 24 relief appearances with L.A. last year after being acquired from the White Sox, posting a 1.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and six saves, but the Dodgers' offseason additions to the bullpen will likely mean few save chances, if any, for Kopech in 2025.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (knee) was replaced in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds after getting hit by a pitch on his left knee, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. It's unclear how severe Smith's left-knee injury is, but it's not the first injury he's dealt with in spring training after being delayed early in camp with ankle soreness. For now, we'll consider the 29-year-old backstop day-to-day until we get further word on his ailment. Most likely, the Dodgers pulled him out of an abundance of caution. An All-Star the last two seasons, Smith slashed .248/.327/.433 last year with 20 home runs, 75 RBI and 77 runs scored in 128 games. It was the third time in the last four years that Smith has reached the 20-homer mark to finish as a top-five fantasy catcher. While he's not an elite fantasy option at the position, he's been extremely reliable and has a safe floor in the best lineup in baseball.UPDATE: Manager Dave Roberts said Smith's exit was purely precautionary.