San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) has been cleared to throw three times a week and is on schedule in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that he had in May of last year. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw and former American League Cy Young winner in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays only made one start for the Seattle Mariners last year before going under the knife. As a result, he's not expected to make his debut with the Giants in 2024 until sometime after the All-Star break this summer. When he does return, it might take him a bit to get his bearings to close out his first year in San Francisco, so fantasy managers should temper expectations. In 2022 with the M's, Ray was decent, posting a 3.71 ERA with 212 K's and 67 walks in 189 innings. When healthy, he's one of the better left-handed strikeout artists.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater (elbow) has no hitting restrictions in spring training and is finishing his throwing program. Slater had surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow in the offseason and still needs to gain clearance in order to play in Cactus League games this spring. But as long as he doesn't have any setbacks, the 31-year-old should be ready for Opening Day. When healthy, he's projected to be on the short side of a platoon in the outfield for the Giants. Slater also missed some time in the second half last year due to hamstring issues and finished with a .270/.348/.400 slash line, five homers, 20 RBI and 24 runs scored in 89 games in his seventh year in the Bay Area. He'll have deep-league value as a part-time player when the Giants are facing lefties.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) said his hip feels great and he's hoping to be cleared to throw off a mound soon. His goal is to face hitters by the end of spring training and go from there. Cobb started throwing on flat ground a few weeks ago after having left-hip surgery in October. The 36-year-old veteran starter isn't going to be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season, though, but he's hoping to join the rotation before the All-Star break in July. Cobb was pretty fortunate to have an ERA under 4.00 in 28 starts and 151 1/3 innings in his second year with the Giants in 2023 with a drop in velocity, which can likely be attributed to his hip injury. With around half a season's worth of work projected for 2024, Cobb is much less attractive in fantasy.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that he "would be shocked" if outfielder Jung Hoo Lee isn't the team's leadoff hitter on Opening Day. The plan is for Lee to bat leadoff against both right-handers and left-handers in his first year in the big leagues. The Giants added the 25-year-old Korean this offseason on a six-year, $113 million deal, and his high contact rates and on-base skills should serve him well at the top of San Francisco's lineup this year. However, it remains to be seen if Lee will have an adjustment period to the velocity of big-league pitching in 2024. He doesn't carry much power or speed, but fantasy managers should get a fine source of batting average, OBP and runs scored from Lee now that he's expected to hit first for the Gigantes. In addition to hitting leadoff, Lee will serve as the team's starting center fielder.

Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow said that closer Kenley Jansen (lat) reported to camp with some "general lat soreness" and will not be throwing for now. However, Jansen did take part in other drills on Monday and had been throwing bullpen sessions at home. This isn't good news for the 36-year-old reliever, especially since the Red Sox have been shopping him in trades, but it appears to be a minor injury that may not end up affecting his availability for the start of the 2024 season. If everything calms down in his lat, Jansen hopes to resume throwing in around a week. If Jansen isn't ready for the start of the regular season or if he's trade during spring training, Chris Martin and Josh Winckowski would become the two primary candidates for closing duties in Boston in 2024.