San Francisco Giants DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Francisco Giants catcher Tom Murphy (knee) has resumed baseball activity and is beginning to ramp up his baserunning. Murphy felt a pop in his knee after trying to block a wild pitch in the team's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 4 and was put on the 10-day injured list the following day. An MRI exam showed a Grade 1-2 left-knee sprain. Murphy was moved to the 60-day injured list on May 15. He was signed to a two-year, $8.25 million deal in December of 2023 for catching depth in San Francisco. The 33-year-old veteran hit just .118 with a home run in his first 13 games with the Giants before getting injured and will return to a backup role behind Patrick Bailey whenever he comes off the IL. Curt Casali has been serving as the team's No. 2 backstop since Murphy went down.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Tristan Beck (arm) continues his throwing progress in San Francisco and was scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Monday. The 27-year-old felt his hand go cold after throwing some bullpen sessions early in spring training, prompting the Giants to send him back to San Fran to be evaluated by team doctors on Feb. 27. A vascular specialist at Stanford helped determine Beck was dealing with an aneurysm -- an abnormal bulge or ballooning in the wall of a blood vessel. Beck was moved to the 60-day injured list on March 3 and had surgery at Stanford the next day. Although he's making progress, Beck probably won't be an option to return to the big leagues for at least another couple of weeks, and when he does return, he'll likely be ticketed for a long-relief role with the Giants' starting rotation getting healthier in the second half.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Ethan Small (oblique) threw one scoreless inning and gave up a hit in a minor-league rehab outing in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Saturday, July 20. Small was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers over the offseason and was in the running for a bullpen spot in San Francisco before suffering a moderate right-oblique strain. The 27-year-old southpaw has yet to pitch for the Giants in 2024 but is nearing a return and could be a relief option for the Giants in the big leagues down the stretch. When he's activated from the 60-day injured list, he could also be sent to Triple-A Sacramento. In his two seasons with the Brewers the last two years, he had an 8.71 ERA, a 2.61 WHIP, one save, 13 strikeouts and 10 walks in 10 1/3 innings. Small is well off the fantasy radar.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Keaton Winn (elbow) allowed five runs over 2 2/3 innings in his June 20 start against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field before going on the 15-day injured list with an elbow issue on June 22 (retroactive to June 21). It was the second time Winn has been sidelined in 2024 with an arm issue, as he previously missed more than 20 games with a right-forearm strain. An MRI exam showed no structural damage, and Winn has continued his throwing progression in San Francisco. There's no timetable for Winn's return, and the 26-year-old won't be guaranteed a rotation spot when he's healthy after going 3-8 with a 7.16 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 48:20 K:BB in 55 1/3 innings this year. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can continue to leave Winn on the waiver wire.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) allowed one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in what will likely be his final minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento on Friday. Ray walked two, struck out seven and threw 78 pitches. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw is on track to make his Giants debut during the team's four-game series at Dodger Stadium this week. The 2021 American League Cy Young winner is coming off Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched in the majors since March 31 of 2023, so fantasy managers should certainly temper their expectations. "He's probably not going to go out there and throw 120 pitches his first time out, but he got up a sixth time on Friday. One hit, some strikeouts and the velo was there. He threw all his pitches and felt good. That's what we're looking for," manager Bob Melvin said. Ray is worth rostering for his strikeout upside, although we'd recommend avoiding him in his 2024 debut against LA.