Pitchers and catchers officially reported to spring training with the SF Giants on Wednesday. With the 2024 season officially underway, the team released their first injury report, which included updates on players returning from major surgeries, like pitchers Alex Cobb, Robbie Ray, Austin Slater, and Thomas Szapucki and others dealing with more recent injuries, like Kai-Wei Teng and Reggie Crawford ( Giants Top 9 Prospect).
Slater underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery last October after playing through the injury for much of the season. Per the team, he has no restrictions with his hitting at the start of camp and is currently throwing from 135 feet in his rehab program. Normally a well-rounded defensive outfielder, Slater played in the field far less last year and only received 207 plate appearances. He finished the season with a .270/.348/.400 triple-slash.
Ray, of course, continues to work his way back from UCL surgery. He is throwing three times a week and remains on schedule, per the team. Ray remains a ways off from pitching in a big-league game, and is not expected to be a factor until after the All-Star break even if he does not suffer any setbacks.
Cobb, like Slater, spent part of last season playing through a hip injury. Once the Giants fell out of contention, he underwent surgery that will sideline him through Opening Day. Prior to the injury, the 12-year MLB veteran ranked among the best pitchers in the league in many categories and received his first-career All-Star selection. However, he never seemed able to recover from throwing more than 130 pitches in a near no-hitter in early September. Cobb finished the season with a 3.87 ERA across 151.1 innings pitched (28 starts) with 131 strikeouts and 37 walks.
Szapucki missed the entire 2023 season after undergoing surgery to try and address Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. According to the team, he is "dealing with left shoulder soreness and won't be available the first week of camp." Szapucki was non-tendered and re-signed on a minor-league deal this offseason.
Teng suffered a left oblique strain while throwing a bullpen at the Giants facility in Arizona last week and will be reevaluated in 2-3 weeks. Teng was added to the 40-man roster last offseason after having some success at Double and Triple-A last year. Teng had an outside chance of pitching his way into the Opening Day rotation, but now will need to play catch up this spring.
Crawford, the Giants 2022 first-round pick, also suffered a left lat strain last week and will not resume throwing for at least 3-4 weeks. While Crawford was not going to make the Opening Day roster, the injury risks delaying his start to the minor-league season.
More must-reads: