Robbie Ray Adds Changeup To Pitch Mix, Strikes Out Three On Tuesday
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray is reportedly adding a changeup to his repertoire. The lefty is said to have borrowed the grip from last year's AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal after communicating with him this offseason and results so far have been promising. The 33-year-old pitched two innings in Tuesday's 7-5 Cactus League loss to the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit and zero walks while striking out three, including getting some whiffs on the new changeup. Ray made his way back from Tommy John surgery in July of last season, making seven starts before missing the rest of the year due to a hamstring strain. Although the 4.70 ERA and the 11.6 percent walk rate weren't good, the veteran still demonstrated strong strikeout stuff, posting a 33.3 percent K% with 43 strikeouts in 30 2/3 IP. Fully healthy and armed with a new pitch, the former Cy Young winner has a chance to be a sneaky value pick with an NFBC ADP of 165, as RotoBaller ranks him at 150 overall.
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.
Robbie Ray Doesn't Opt Out Of Contract, Stays With Giants
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.
Robbie Ray To Throw Three Simulated Innings On Saturday
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (hamstring) is set to throw another simulated game on Saturday afternoon, according to MLB.com. The southpaw logged his first simulated game (two innings) last week and will now look to stretch out further on Saturday by tossing three frames. Ray hit the 15-day IL with a hamstring strain on August 27. If the 32-year-old progresses well, he may only require one rehab assignment before returning to the big leagues. Before the injury, Ray held a 4.70 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP across 30 2/3 innings of work this summer, as his 2024 campaign began much later due to undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Ray could be worth stashing in deeper leagues as he should be able to log a handful of starts during the final weeks of the season and possess a high strikeout upside.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray was dominant in Tuesday's victory versus the Chicago White Sox. The veteran tossed a season-high 6 2/3 innings and allowed three hits, one run, no walks and struck out nine during the contest. It was his best start since returning from injury in late July. Since his return, Ray is 3-2 with a 4.88 ERA and 12.69 K/9 in his first six starts. Ray should continue to shake off the rust and Tuesday's outing was a sign of how good the left-hander can be at full strength, even against a poor White Sox lineup. If he is still available on the waiver wire, now would likely be the last chance to scoop up the veteran for the stretch run as he can help in a big way, especially in the strikeout department. Next up for Ray will be a matchup versus Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday as part of a two-start week that also features a tasty matchup versus the Miami Marlins.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray went six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out seven in Friday's 3-2 victory over the Tigers, but did not factor into the decision. The outing was his first quality start since coming off the IL, although he's been effective in three of the four games he's pitched so far, posting a 3.98 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 22.6% K-BB%. The southpaw will face a reeling Braves team who has lost six straight in his next start on Thursday next week.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray pitched effectively against the Reds Sunday, picking up the win after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts in five innings. He did allow two solo homers but those were about the only blemishes on the day for the southpaw who was making his third start of the season. He now sports a 4.40 ERA and 1.12 WHIP this season and has recorded 21 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. It's an encouraging start for Ray as he continues to get his footing this season.
Robbie Ray Throws Five No-Hit Innings In Return To Action
In his first major-league outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray held the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless across five innings. Ray settled in beautifully after allowing one earned run on a bases-loaded walk in what was a shaky first inning. The 32-year-old rebounded to blank the Dodgers over his next four innings, finishing the night with eight strikeouts on 86 pitches in his debut with the Giants. Ray's velocity topped out at 95.2 mph, and he finished with 22 swinging strikes. His performance against L.A. should erase any doubt as to his fantasy potential for the remainder of the season, and he should be rostered in all leagues.
Updating a previous report, San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) will come off the 60-day injured list to make his team debut on Wednesday on the road against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. It will be Ray's first major-league start since having Tommy John surgery in March of 2023, which will obviously make him extremely risky from a fantasy perspective, especially against one of the best teams in baseball on the road. The 32-year-old former American League Cy Young winner looked good in his final minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Sacramento last Friday and pitched into the sixth inning, though, and he should be picked up off the waiver wire in mixed fantasy leagues if he's still available for his strikeout upside. Ray had a league-high 248 K's in 2021 when he won the AL Cy Young and has had 200-plus punchouts in five of his 10 MLB seasons.
Robbie Ray
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Giants
