New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte (knee) is serving as the designated hitter and batting sixth on Monday in the Grapefruit League game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It is the spring training debut for the aging Marte, who hadn't played until this point due to soreness in his right knee. If the 36-year-old can avoid setbacks and also return to action on defense in right field, he should be able to avoid starting the 2025 regular season on the injured list. Still, it's a reminder to fantasy managers that Marte is an extreme injury risk in the twilight of his career and can't be counted on as a speed threat anymore. To preserve his health, the Mets are expected to give Marte plenty of built in rest days, which means he won't be a regular anymore after the team signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto this offseason as the everyday right fielder. Expect a short-side platoon for Marte with Jesse Winker in center field.UPDATE: Marte was happy with how his knee felt on Monday in his spring debut and didn't have trouble running to second on a double he hit in the second inning.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Monday against the division-rival Miami Marlins, doing the catching and batting eighth. Adams was hit by a pitch recently in spring training, which resulted in a sore wrist and caused him to sit out for a few days, but he's back in there now and is ready to go. The 28-year-old will continue to compete in camp with Drew Millas to be the backup to Keibert Ruiz to open the 2025 regular season. After an encouraging 2023 campaign in which he had an .807 OPS in 158 plate appearances as a backup catcher, Adams had a .629 OPS with two home runs and eight RBI in only 41 games for the Nats last year while also spending more time in the minor leagues. Adams probably has the edge over Millas because he doesn't have minor-league options remaining, but he doesn't have much upside as a backup in D.C. because of the fact that he doesn't bring much to the table with his glove.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) still doesn't have a firm timetable on when he'll return from surgery to fix a torn ACL he suffered last year, but he has been impressing this spring with his performances in live batting practice, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. "He's probably as strong as he's ever been," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the 2023 National League MVP. Acuna tore his right ACL two days before the 2021 All-Star break and tore his left ACL in late-May of 2024. It means we might not see him run as much as he did when he had a franchise-record 73 steals, but his power should remain intact after hitting impressive homers during his live BP sessions this spring. The 27-year-old has also been throwing and doing running drills, although he hasn't been cleared to cut. The Braves want to be sure that Acuna is ready to go once he makes his 2025 debut. There's more risk than ever in fantasy, but Acuna still has it in him to reach the 40-homer mark if he stays healthy.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) is in Los Angeles on Monday to meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, according to manager Aaron Boone. Cole is seeking a second opinion after it was reported on Sunday evening that he has been recommended to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. While nothing is official yet, the 34-year-old former American League Cy Young winner should be avoided in fantasy formats with the distinct possibility that he won't be pitching at all in 2025. Even if Cole likes what ElAttrache says on Monday and he decides to go with a non-surgical route, he is going to be out for the foreseeable future and will probably require TJ surgery eventually. We'll have more information on Cole when it becomes available, but things are looking grim for the Yankees' ace right now.

The Athletics reassigned right-hander Dylan Floro to minor-league camp on Monday. In other moves, the A's also optioned right-handers Ryan Cusick and Gunnar Hogland and outfielder Denzel Clarke to Triple-A Las Vegas. Right-handers Jason Alexander, Tanner Dodson and Jack Perkins, left-hander Ben Bowden, catcher Kyle McCann, infielder Nick Kurtz and outfielders Henry Bolte, Carlos Cortes and Colby Thomas were also reassigned to minor-league camp. The 34-year-old Floro agreed to a minor-league pact with the A's late last month, which made it difficult for him to make a serious run for an Opening Day bullpen spot. However, Floro has plenty of experience and made 66 big-league appearances with the Nationals and Diamondbacks last year. There's a good chance he'll be back in the majors at some point in 2025, but he won't have much fantasy appeal, if any at all.