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The San Francisco Giants optioned shortstop Marco Luciano and catcher Blake Sabol to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday. Many folks expected Luciano to open the year as San Fran's starting shortstop, but instead he'll open the year in the minors after missing some time with an injury in spring training. Veteran Nick Ahmed will open the 2024 season as the Giants' starter at the 6. The 22-year-old Luciano should still be considered the team's best long-term option at shortstop, but it remains to be seen when they'll deem him ready to return to the majors. Sabol, 26, is currently the Giants' No. 3 catcher behind Patrick Bailey and Joey Bart, so he'll bide his time on the farm until the team needs another catcher at the big-league level.
San Francisco Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval said after Tuesday's 3-1 exhibition loss to the Athletics that he is not retiring and will report to Triple-A Sacramento if he gets the chance, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. The 37-year-old veteran went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout, with his broken-bat hit coming in his final at-bat in the ninth inning. Sandoval batted .250 with no home runs in 28 spring at-bats and hasn't played in a big-league organization since 2021. However, he had a storied career during his time with the Giants, earning three World Series Championships, two All-Star appearances, and one World Series Most Value Player Award. Regardless of the outcome, the Panda made a lasting mark in the Giants' organization.
San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is likely to go on paternity leave for the first Friday through Sunday of the 2024 regular season, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. The 33-year-old and his family are expecting their second child, so he may miss some of the team's first few games. Yastrzemski has cooled off in his career after a few solid fantasy seasons and slashed .233/.330/.445 with 15 home runs, 54 runs scored, 43 RBI, and two stolen bases in 381 plate appearances in 2023 while dealing with a left hamstring strain.
San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell will pitch either in Arizona or "something somewhere else" on Friday, according to manager Bob Melvin. Snell pitched three innings on Sunday and could get up to five innings later this week. Due to the late nature of his signing with the Giants during spring training, last year's National League Cy Young winner won't be ready to be in the team's Opening Day rotation. We should have a better idea of when the 31-year-old southpaw will be able to make his Giants debut once he gets stretched out a bit more. While Snell has lots of strikeout upside for fantasy managers, he led the league with 99 walks last year with the San Diego Padres and was fortunate to have a league-low 2.25 ERA, as evidenced by his 3.44 FIP. He's moving to a great pitcher's park, but fantasy managers should expect some regression.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb has had a rough go of it in the Cactus League this spring with a bloated 10.97 ERA in six starts than span over 21 1/3 innings. Webb, 27, is coming off an excellent season for the Giants with his 3.25 ERA being his highest over the past three seasons. Most managers will not argue with that and should not. It is not out of the norm to see players struggle in Spring Training and then turn it on once the numbers actually count. Managers shouldn't worry about Webb as he has appeared healthy and he remains a safe option at the top of managers rotations as we head into 2024.