Mets manager Terry Collins said Monday that Rick Ankiel and Juan Lagares will platoon in center field. Ankiel will start against right-handed pitchers while Lagares will play against southpaws. We're not expecting much in the way of batting average, but Ankiel could provide enough pop to hold some value in NL-only formats.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that outfielder Rick Ankiel has agreed to a deal with the Mets.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Mets are "in talks on a deal" with outfielder Rick Ankiel. Ankiel was released by the Astros last week after batting .194 with a .231 on-base percentage and 35 strikeouts over 65 plate appearances. He did hit five homers, and could add some needed pop to the Mets' roster.

Astros released OF Rick Ankiel. Ankiel cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. While the 33-year-old had five homers, he was hitting just .194/.231/.484 with an ugly 35/3 K/BB ratio. It's telling that the worst team in baseball didn't have use for him anymore, so he could struggle to find another opportunity with an MLB club.

Astros designated OF Rick Ankiel for assignment. Ankiel has banged out five home runs this season, but he's hit an ugly .194/.231/.484 overall and has a 3/35 BB/K ratio. He'll be able to catch on elsewhere, but he might have to work his way up through the minors first. The Astros also designated Fernando Martinez for assignment Monday.

Rick Ankiel hit his fifth home run of the season Monday against the Mariners. Ankiel accounted for all of the Astros' offense on the night, as he took Carter Capps deep for a solo shot in the seventh. The veteran outfielder is hitting just .237 with an ugly 24/0 K/BB ratio, but five of his nine hits have been home runs. He also holds a .921 OPS. Keep running him out there in NL-only leagues, though the rebuilding Astros could change course at any time.

Rick Ankiel belted his fourth homer of the season, helping to power the Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Indians on Friday. The homer came as part of back-to-back shots with J.D. Martinez off Brett Myers in the second inning. After his 1-for-3 night, Ankiel has the unusual .194/.194/.613 line on the season. He has just six hits, with four of them being home runs, and a double as well. He's now driven in 10 runs on the season, and could be worth a look in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues as a cheap source of power.

Rick Ankiel delivered his second pinch-hit homer of the season Wednesday in the ninth inning against the A's. Ankiel took Grant Balfour deep for his third homer in 28 at-bats this season. Unfortunately, he has just two other hits along with the homers and a crazy 20/0 K/BB ratio. It'll be interesting to see how long he lasts in Houston.

Pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel delivered a three-run homer off Derek Lowe in the bottom of the sixth as the Astros beat the Rangers 8-2 on Sunday. Astros manager Bo Porter has said Ankiel is his regular right fielder, but he still had him on the bench against a lefty tonight. No matter, Ankiel delivered his first ever Opening Day hit after replacing Brandon Barnes in the sixth, and it left the yard for the first home run of the 2013 season. Lowe had just replaced Matt Harrison in the game, as Ron Washington for some reason bypassed all of his better righties. Ankiel will definitely be in the lineup for the final two games of the series.

Astros purchased the contract of OF Rick Ankiel from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Ankiel has earned the right field job for the 'Stros by batting .413/.463/.826 with four homers this spring. He's no safe bet to start there against righties all season, but it's possible he'll have AL-only value.