Robbie Ray DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (hamstring) was seen throwing a bullpen session at camp on Thursday. Ray recovered from Tommy John surgery last year and returned to make seven starts in his first year with the Giants, going 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 43 strikeouts and 15 walks in 30 2/3 frames. However, the 33-year-old veteran southpaw ended the year on the injured list after straining his hamstring on Aug. 27. By all accounts, he's fully healthy for spring training and is fully expected to be locked into a starting rotation spot for San Fran in 2025. Ray's 4.70 ERA upon his return last year was not impressive, but his stuff was. The former American League Cy Young winner is injury-prone and can get wild at times, but he proved last year that he still has plenty of swing-and-miss stuff. At a low cost on draft day, Ray is absolutely worth rostering as fantasy starting pitching depth.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray did not exercise his player option with the San Francisco Giants and will remain with the team. Ray has two years and $50 million remaining on his contract, keeping him a Giant through 2026. The lefty will look to bounce back in 2025 after two injury-riddled seasons have held back the former Cy Young winner. In his first year with the Giants Ray posted a 4.70 ERA in seven starts. His first start didn't come until after the All-Star break as he was working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Ray's last start was shortened due to a hamstring injury. The lefty is in a spot where he needs to get himself back to normal form before he can expect another big payday. Fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for the lefty going forward given his recent injury issues as he may be well beyond his prime at this point in his career.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (hamstring) had his live batting practice session on Sept. 11 cut short after 42 pitches due to fatigue, but he's been playing catch and threw another bullpen session on Saturday. Ray said he still hopes to make at least one start for the Giants before the end of the regular season. The 32-year-old southpaw suffered a left-hamstring strain while facing the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 25 and was placed on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 27. Ray also missed the entire first half of the season while recovery from Tommy John surgery. He has fanned 43 in his 30 2/3 innings of work over his seven starts this year with the Giants, but he's also allowed 16 earned runs on 20 hits (six home runs surrendered). If Ray does make it back to San Fran's rotation to make one more start in 2024, he'll likely be a poor streaming option with a likely short leash.