Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery allowed two hits and five earned runs in his spring debut on Saturday. He was only able to tally one out before exiting the game. He served up two free passes and allowed a home run to Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. This was a disappointing showing for Montgomery as he is currently competing for a spot at the back of the Arizona rotation. During the early part of camp, the southpaw was dealing with a strained index finger which delayed his debut. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progress during camp but it appears he will likely open the season in a long relief role. Last season, the 32-year-old posted a 6.23 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP in his Arizona debut. If he does open the campaign in a long relief role, he will only carry minimal value in NL-only formats.

San Diego Padres right-handed pitching prospect Sean Reynolds (foot) is not expected to break camp with the Padres. Reynolds has been dealing with a stress reaction in his foot and has been wearing a walking boot. He has been unable to take the mound as well. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status during the early part of the season as he should contend for a spot in the majors once he is cleared. Last season, Reynolds made his MLB debut and performed quite well as he held a 0.82 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP across his first 11 frames. He tallied 21 punchouts and generated an elite 22.7 percent hard-hit rate. In 54 innings at Triple-A last summer, the 26-year-old posted a 6.17 ERA with a 1.69 WHIP. When healthy, Reynolds should be in contention to earn a role in the San Diego bullpen given his production in the majors last season.

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoeing (shoulder) is not expected to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. Hoeing has battled shoulder soreness throughout most of camp. He recently began playing catch but has not been able to increase his workload. Last season, the 28-year-old was effective in the majors and posted a 2.18 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. He logged 53 2/3 innings and held a strong 6.7 percent walk rate but struggled to generate strikeouts as he tallied just 43. However, his strong 48.4 percent ground-ball held offset his low strikeout production. He spent most of his season operating as a long-relief option. When he is cleared to return, fantasy managers should expect Hoeing to have a similar role in 2025, which would only make him valuable in deeper NL-only formats.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) will be sidelined six-to-eight weeks due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. He is set to undergo surgery on Monday. The 23-year-old has been participating in spring training and was slated to be the team's primary backstop in 2025. Last summer, Alvarez missed a significant portion of the season due to a torn UCL in his left thumb. The young backstop could now be facing his second extended absence in consecutive seasons. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status as he will likely miss all of April and potentially part of May. Across 100 contests last season, the 23-year-old posted a .237/.307/.403 with 11 home runs. However, during the 2023 season, Alvarez flashed high power upside as he went deep 23 times and added 12 doubles across 123 contests. While Alvarez is sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Luis Torrens to move to the top of the depth chart with Jakson Reetz serving as the No. 2 option.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom is not looking to maximize his velocity during the upcoming season. deGrom spent the majority of the 2024 campaign sidelined after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in 2023. However, the two-time Cy Young winner is looking to slightly decrease his velocity to ensure he remains healthy during the entire 2025 campaign. When he returned to the majors at the end of the 2024 season, he is fastball averaged just over 97 mph. However, during the prime of his career, deGrom's fastball typically sat around 99 mph. He recently made his spring training debut and tossed two shutout frames. When on the mound, deGrom has been one of the most effective pitchers in the sport. As a result, fantasy managers should view deGrom as a high-end SP2 heading into 2025 given the elite upside he carries despite the injury risk. If he can continue to lower his velocity and remain dominant, he could put himself at a much lower injury risk while providing elite fantasy production.