Free-agent first baseman Ji Man Choi signed a split contract with the New York Mets on Friday that is worth up to $3.5 million, including performance-based bonuses if he makes the Opening Day roster. The deal includes an invite to spring training. The 32-year-old left-handed-hitting South Korean started the 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the San Diego Padres. In only 39 games in all, he hit a weak .163/.239/.385 with six home runs, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored in 117 plate appearances. If Choi makes the Mets' major-league roster, which is probably unlikely, he'll be a backup option at first base behind All-Star Pete Alonso and a left-handed bat off the bench against righties. In eight seasons in the majors, Choi has a career slash line of .234/.338/.426 with 67 homers and 238 RBI in 525 games played. He's not on the fantasy radar.

San Diego Padres first baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi (ribs, foot) was rehabbing with Triple-A El Paso when he sustained a right Lisfranc injury. The ailment will likely end his season, and his rehab assignment will stop for now. Choi has only played in 30 games this year split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Padres, thanks to an Achilles and rib injury. The 32-year-old wasn't producing when he was on the field, as he slashed .179/.239/.440 with six homers, 12 runs, 11 RBI, and no steals. If fantasy managers haven't already, they should drop Choi in virtually every format.

San Diego Padres first baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi (ribs) has begun a swinging progression, according to MLB.com, and is looking to return from the injured list by mid-September. The 32-year-old hit the shelf after straining his rib cage earlier this month. Choi has only appeared in 30 contests this season, split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Padres, as he began the season dealing with an Achilles issue. Over 84 at-bats, the eight-year vet owns a .179/.239/.440 slash line with six homers, 12 runs, and 11 RBI. There's no need for fantasy managers to stash Choi in any mixed-league format.

The San Diego Padres placed first baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi (ribs) on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left rib cage strain. The move is retroactive to August 12, when he sustained the injury while taking swings. Outfielder Ben Gamel's contract was selected from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. Choi had provided a bit of power but not much else this season, slashing .179/.239/.440 in 92 plate appearances. While Gamel has been performing well at Triple-A, neither player is fantasy relevant at this time.

San Diego Padres first baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest with Logan Gilbert and the Seattle Mariners. Choi only has 27 games under his belt this season due to injury, and he's struggled, batting .185 with a .687 OPS. Garrett Cooper will take over instead at DH and bat eighth. A deadline acquisition, the 32-year-old owns pretty boring numbers, as he's slashing .256/.296/.424 with 13 bombs, 29 runs, and 46 RBI through 84 games. That's fine production for fantasy managers just looking for a short-term, plug-in option, as Cooper really only hurts the stolen base category.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ji Man Choi (Achilles) began his rehab assignment and has played in four games thus far. He hasn't experienced any issues and could be activated before the end of the month. Choi has only appeared in nine games in 2023 at the big league level, as he's been dealing with an Achilles injury that he suffered in spring training. The 32-year-old was hitting .125 with two bombs, three runs, and two RBI before the ailment. Fantasy managers in deep and OBP formats can pick up Choi for some first-base help.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ji Man Choi (Achilles) began his rehab assignment Thursday with Double-A Altoona and went 1-for-2 with a double. The eight-year veteran has only played in nine games at the big league level this year after he tweaked his Achilles in spring training, and it eventually landed him on the injured list in early April. Choi is expected to be back in June and would likely take Carlos Santana's job at first base, who's slashing just .227/.312/.372. The 32-year-old has limited value in standard leagues as he's a career .237 hitter with some power, but he's a strong player in OBP leagues, considering his career 13.2% walk rate and .341 OBP.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ji Man Choi (Achilles) is doing light baseball activities, including some throwing and hitting, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Choi is finally starting to do some baseball activities, but he's still about halfway through an eight-week timetable. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger probably won't be able to return to Pittsburgh's lineup until sometime in July. He played in just nine games before getting hurt and had gone just 4-for-32 (.125) with a double, two home runs, two RBI and 15 strikeouts. When he's healthy enough to return, he'll be hoping to steal playing time at first base from regular Carlos Santana.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Ji Man Choi (Achilles) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Sunday. The 31-year-old had battled a left Achilles strain since spring training but tried to play through it. However, he's now expected to be out for eight weeks. Fortunately, Choi won't need surgery. Instead, he'll spend his time away resting and rehabbing while wearing a walking boot. The veteran, who was acquired from Tampa Bay in November, was batting .125 with two home runs and two RBI before going on the shelf, so his absence won't impact many fantasy managers. In a corresponding move, Drew Maggi was called up from Double-A.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/designated hitter Ji Man Choi (Achilles) landed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, retroactive to April 14. The 31-year-old has struggled this season, batting a miserable .125 with four hits, two RBI, and two home runs while striking out 15 times. Hopefully, his stint on the IL will allow his nagging Achilles strain to heal. But until Choi is ready to return, Carlos Santana will spend the most time at first, with Connor Joe also getting involved.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ji-Man Choi has lost his arbitration hearing with his new organization. That's not exactly the best way to start off his career with the Pirates. Choi requested $5.4 million for the 2023 season, but lost and will now make $4.65 million for the upcoming season. It's still a $1.45 million raise from what Choi made last season with the Tampa Bay Rays. The 31-year-old hit .233/.341//.388 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI in 113 games in 2022. He figures to split time at first base and also see action at designated hitter versus right-handed pitching.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that first baseman Ji-Man Choi (elbow) will have a minor procedure on his right elbow in Korea. Choi dealt with an elbow injury while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, but Cherington said he expects Choi to return to the States to prepare for spring training in January. The Pirates just acquired the 31-year-old left-handed hitter from the Rays on Thursday, but they already knew about his planned surgery. Choi is expected to enter the 2023 season as the team's primary first baseman after finishing his 2022 season with a .233/.341/.388 slash line, 11 home runs, 52 RBI and 36 runs scored in 419 plate appearances over 113 games played.

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired first baseman Ji-Man Choi from the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jack Hartman. The Rays are shipping Choi to Pittsburgh in his final year of arbitration eligibility. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger finished off the 2022 season with a .233/.341/.388 slash line, 11 home runs, 52 RBI, 36 runs scored and 123 strikeouts in 419 plate appearances over 113 games. He will likely enter next season as the Pirates primary first baseman, but the move is a downgrade for his overall fantasy outlook on a bad Pirates team. Hartman, a 24-year-old right-handed relief pitcher, had a 6.27 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 18 2/3 relief innings over 22 appearances at Single-A Bradenton this year.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi isn't starting on Monday for a matchup with the Boston Red Sox and left-hander Rich Hill. The 31-year-old is batting .228 with a .335 on-base percentage and 10 home runs in 412 plate appearances for the Rays this season. Instead, Harold Ramirez will step in as the team's first baseman and hit cleanup against Hill and the Red Sox. Ramirez has enjoyed a strong season so far, batting .306 with a .348 on-base percentage, six home runs, and three stolen bases in 428 plate appearances for Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi isn't in Monday's lineup for a matchup with the Houston Astros and right-handed starter Luis Garcia. The veteran is batting .227 this season to go along with a .336 on-base percentage and 10 home runs in 384 plate appearances. Jonathan Aranda will start at first base and hit second while Randy Arozarena will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat fourth. Aranda is hitting .325 with a .386 on-base percentage and a home run in 44 plate appearances in the Majors this season and could be worth a look as a streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi isn't in the team's lineup on Monday for a matchup with the Boston Red Sox and right-handed starter Michael Wacha. The veteran is hitting .228 with a .333 on-base percentage and nine home runs in 360 plate appearances so far this season. However, it'll be Harold Ramirez hitting cleanup and starting at first base instead. In 336 plate appearances this year, Ramirez is batting .328 with a .366 on-base percentage, five home runs, and three stolen bases. He's a quality option for fantasy managers in search of streaming help on Monday.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Choi has been in a bit of a slump at the plate recently, so he'll take a seat against a right-handed pitcher in Brandon Woodruff. He's gone 7-for-53 (.132) with a homer, five RBI and 17 strikeouts in 15 games since the All-Star break to drop his season line to .249/.351/.398 with eight home runs, 46 RBI and 28 runs scored in 316 plate appearances. Isaac Paredes is starting at first base on Wednesday and is hitting cleanup against Woodruff. Paredes is a real power threat with 14 home runs in just 213 at-bats, but he's also hitting just .221 on the year with a .294 on-base percentage. He's 8-for-39 (.205) with no homers and two RBI in 11 games over the last two weeks.

The Houston Astros are showing interest in Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi as a possible alternative to their apparent No. 1 choice in Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell, according to sources. If the Rays were to trade Choi, they would make other moves to recoup the offense they lost, trying to create the best possible 13-man position-player group. They are currently playing short-handed with shortstop Wander Franco and outfielders Manuel Margot and Harold Ramirez on the injured list. Choi is currently hitting .257/.355/.415 with eight home runs, 46 RBI and 27 runs scored in 253 at-bats for the Rays. The 31-year-old from South Korea would give the Astros a nice left-handed-hitting option at first base.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi is not in the starting lineup on Thursday against Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Believe it or not, Choi has gone 13-for-28 (.464) against left-handed pitchers on the season, but he'll take the day off on Thursday after facing a southpaw on Wednesday. Overall, he's hitting a solid .282/.386/.465 with an .851 OPS, six home runs, 35 RBI and 22 runs scored in 202 plate appearances over 53 games played. Isaac Paredes is at the cold corner and is hitting fifth on Thursday, while Harold Ramirez is the designated hitter and is batting third against Kikuchi.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi isn't in the starting lineup on Tuesday for a matchup with the New York Yankees and left-hander Nestor Cortes. The 31-year-old is batting .286 with a .381 on-base percentage and six home runs in 181 plate appearances this season. Tampa Bay will instead go with Isaac Paredes at first base on Tuesday. Paredes, who is hitting second against the Yankees, is batting .181 with a .242 on-base percentage and five home runs in 91 plate appearances so far. Given the tough matchup, fantasy managers are probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help at first base.