SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants got good news regarding center fielder
Lee is still experiencing some spasms in his back, but he’s showing some improvement and will continue receiving treatment for now. Manager Bob Melvin said Lee could be back in the lineup on Friday against the Guardians, which should give the 26-year-old Korean star enough time to ramp up for Opening Day in Cincinnati on March 27.
Lee hasn’t played since March 13, so the Giants would ideally like to see him play in three of their final five exhibition games to make sure he’s good to go for the regular season.\n\n“I think that’s going to be enough time,” Melvin said Tuesday. “Hopefully he’s able to play after the off-day \\[on Thursday\\], but sometimes these things obviously linger on a little bit longer than maybe you’d hope.”
Lee appeared in only 37 games for the Giants before suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury last year, but he came into camp healthy and looked poised to settle in the club’s starting center fielder after batting .300 (9-for-30) with two home runs and five RBIs over 11 Cactus League games this spring.\n\nIf Lee needs to open the season on the injured list, the Giants will likely turn to
McCray, 24, crushed five home runs and stole five bases over 37 games for San Francisco in 2024, but he also struck out 56 times over 130 plate appearances and has been focusing on making more consistent contact this spring. That work is already beginning to show up in Cactus League play, as McCray entered Monday batting .314 (11-for-35) with one home run, one triple and two doubles over 20 games.\n\n“I can’t say I expected him to be in the big leagues last year, and then he had a stretch where he was really good,” Melvin said earlier this spring. “Hitting homers, playing great defense, making good throws. And then the strikeouts kind of accumulated a little bit. He knows. That’s what he’s working on this spring. But he’s got some power. He’s trying to shorten his swing a little bit. He’s kind of long. Short to it, long through.”\n\n**Worth noting**\n\nLeft-hander