San Francisco Giants DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Francisco Giants right-hander Tristan Beck (arm) said he will undergo vascular surgery at Stanford University on Monday to address the aneurysm in his upper right arm. Beck was dealing with an arm injury in camp and was diagnosed with the aneurysm this week. Now that he's being forced to have surgery, there's a good chance the 27-year-old won't be able to pitch at all in 2024, although there has been no specific timetable given for his recovery from surgery. The Giants have some issues at the back of their starting rotation with the start of the season approach, as both Beck and Keaton Winn (elbow), who were projected to be their No. 4 and 5 starters, are hurt. Perhaps the injuries spur the Giants to sign one of Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery in free agency?

San Francisco Giants infielder David Villar is once again in the team's Cactus League lineup on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, starting at first base and batting cleanup. This is already Villar's fifth game in spring training, and so far he's gone 2-for-7 with two doubles and a run scored in Cactus League action. The 27-year-old is battling for a utility infield role in camp entering the 2024 season, so even if he makes the Giants' Opening Day roster with a strong spring, he's unlikely to see consistent playing time. A horrendous start in the big leagues in 2023 got Villar sent back to the minors, where he hit 36 home runs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2022. Villar has struck out over 30% of the time in the big leagues while rarely squaring the ball up.

With San Francisco Giants right-hander Tristan Beck (arm) now facing a potentially lengthy absence due to an aneurysm in his arm, manager Bob Melvin mentioned 26-year-old Sean Hjelle as a candidate to enter the starting rotation for the beginning of the 2024 season with Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) to open the year on the injured list. Maybe the Giants will now get serious about signing lefties Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery. The Giants would prefer to keep Hjelle in a long-relief role, but they may have no choice if Keaton Winn (elbow) also is unable to be ready by Opening Day. While Hjelle should already be a bit stretched out, all 23 of his major-league appearances have come out of the bullpen, and he had a poor 6.52 ERA in 15 outings in San Fran.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Keaton Winn (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this weekend, while right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) will throw a bullpen on Thursday. People around camp have been impressed with how far along Cobb seems to be, but he'll still miss a big chunk of time at the start of the year. Meanwhile, Tristan Beck (arm), who was the favorite for the No. 5 rotation spot to begin the year, was diagnosed with an aneurysm in his arm and could need surgery. Winn cut his last bullpen short over a week ago due to right-elbow soreness. It's unclear when the 26-year-old will be cleared to pitch in spring training games, but the Giants are holding out hope he'll be ready to be in the team's Opening Day rotation. With Beck hurt, Sean Hjelle is the favorite now for the final rotation spot in San Francisco.

San Francisco Giants shortstop Marco Luciano (hamstring) is making his Cactus League debut on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, starting at shortstop and batting second in the lineup. The Giants have been cautious with their projected Opening Day shortstop in camp due to a minor hamstring injury, but Luciano is ready to roll now. The 22-year-old has been one of the team's top prospects in recent years and will finally get his shot at the 6 in the big leagues now that Brandon Crawford has moved on. Luciano is a glove-first shortstop right now, though, which doesn't make him all that attractive in single-year fantasy leagues. The Dominican infielder hit .231 (9-for-39) with no homers or RBI in his first 14 big-league games in 2023 and could face competition from Casey Schmitt and Nick Ahmed if he struggles early on.