The New York Mets optioned infield prospect Luisangel Acuna and left-hander Kolton Ingram to Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday and reassigned outfielder Drew Gilbert, right-handers Eric Orze, Cam Robinson, Christian Scott and Mike Vasil, catcher Kevin Parada, infielder Jett Williams and left-hander Danny Young to minor-league camp. Acuna, 21, is one of the Mets' top prospects, but he will begin the 2024 season in the minors, as expected. He was the headliner in the deal with the Rangers last year that sent Max Scherzer to Texas. The Venezuelan infielder hit a combined .294/.359/.410 with nine home runs, 63 RBI, 57 stolen bases and 93 runs in 121 games with Double-A Binghamton and Double-A Frisco. If Acuna, one of the younger brothers of Ronald Acuna Jr., tears it up at Syracuse this year, he could make his MLB debut later this year.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (leg) is throwing a side bullpen session in camp on Sunday and will see a specialist for his left tibia to undergo tests on Monday. The outcome of those tests will likely determine whether he can be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season or soon thereafter. A stress reaction in Lodolo's left tibia limited him to just seven starts in 2023, but the 26-year-old southpaw is still feeling something in his leg this spring, prompting the Reds to send him for further testing. Even if the tests come back positive on his leg on Monday, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Lodolo to be in the team's Opening Day starting rotation. Still, given his high strikeout upside, Lodolo is worthy of stashing in deep-mixed leagues for rotation depth as long as his tests don't reveal something really bad.

The New York Yankees optioned right-handers Luis Gil and Yoendrys Gomez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday and also reassigned right-handers Chase Hampton and Art Warren to minor-league camp. In his two Grapefruit League appearances, Gil gave up two runs while walking two and striking out three. It's not a huge surprise that the 25-year-old will open the year on the farm after he missed most of last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery. It remains to be seen if he'll be used as a starter or reliever at Triple-A to begin the season, but his clearest path back to the Bronx will probably be as a member of the bullpen.

New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (leg) was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League lineup on Sunday with a left-leg contusion that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch on Saturday. Verdugo is just dealing with a bruise, so it's nothing serious. The 27-year-old should be able to return to the team's spring training lineup in a day or two. Consider him day-to-day for now. The Yanks acquired Verdugo via trade from the Red Sox this offseason. He's proven to be a mediocre hitter the last couple years in Boston, but perhaps the change of scenery to the Bronx will invigorate him offensively. Verdugo didn't hit the ball very hard in 2023 and has been merely average in the power and speed departments, giving him limited fantasy upside for outfield depth in deep-mixed leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw around 60 pitches during his bullpen session on Sunday morning. Verlander worked out of both the stretch and from the windup and appeared to throw some breaking pitches. The Astros are expected to determine if he's ready to face hitters next in camp. The 41-year-old's shoulder didn't respond the way he would have hoped this offseason, so he entered spring training behind the team's other pitchers. Even if Verlander moves to live batting practice sessions next, there's no guarantee he won't open the 2024 regular season on the injured list as a precaution. The future Hall of Famer was still productive for fantasy managers last year, but injuries aren't going to go away, making him more of a No. 3 starter than a fantasy ace now days.