SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. >> Jung Hoo Lee’s status for Opening Day roster is now unclear.

The Giants announced on Monday morning that Lee would undergo an MRI later in the day as the center fielder deals with mid-back tightness. Lee will have a follow-up with team orthopedist Ken Akizuki for another exam as well.

“It hasn’t gotten any better,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Send him in, get an MRI, see what’s there.”

Melvin said the Giants will likely have the results of the MRI today. When Melvin was asked if there was any concern that Lee might be doubtful for the Giants’ regular-season opener, which is a week from Thursday in Cincinnati, Melvin responded that he wouldn’t know until the team gets the results of the MRI.

Additionally, backup catcher Tom Murphy (mid-back disk herniation) remains in rehab only at this time. Left-handed reliever Enny Romero, a non-roster invitee, is currently away from the team due to a personal issue, per Melvin.

Lee, who played just 37 games last season due to a season-ending left shoulder injury, was scratched from last Saturday’s starting lineup due to the back injury. At the time, Melvin said that Lee slept on it wrong and considered the injury to be minor.

“If he can play here at home, we’re fine,” Melvin said. “It’s probably gone on a little longer than we expected, but hopefully we get some good news today. Just not getting much better.”

If Lee isn’t healthy for Opening Day, outfielder Grant McCray will likely take his spot on the roster. Luis Matos is currently the favorite to win the fourth outfield spot, but McCray is the most logical candidate to replace Lee on the roster, if need be.

Verlander latest start provides more insight

The first handful of starts Justin Verlander has made this spring have been, in a way, a bit of a mystery.

Verlander’s first three Cactus League appearances this spring took place at Scottsdale Stadium, a venue with no Statcast capabilities. Aside from pure velocity, the spin rate and movement patterns of Verlander’s pitches have been unknown to the public. His specific pitch usage has been unclear, too. For the last month, the public only had access to the eye test.

Monday in Glendale, then, represented the first opportunity to examine what’s happening under the hood.

Verlander turned in another excellent outing as the Giants beat the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch, 3-0, tossing five scoreless innings on 78 pitches with six strikeouts. His ERA in Cactus League play sits at 1.69 and his 16 innings lead San Francisco this spring. But what’s to be learned from his underlying metrics?

“He got a little tired at the end, which is good,” said Melvin. “He’s working on his curveball. He’s working on his changeup. He’s pacing around the dugout like it’s a regular season game. It’s pretty impressive to watch. Some of the younger guys who are on the trip, but especially the position players, to see him do his thing in the dugout, it opens your eyes a little bit to how driven he is.”

Velocity needs no introduction, and Verlander’s four-seam fastball still has plenty of life. Verlander threw 37 four-seam fastballs for an average velocity of 94.3 mph — 0.8 mph faster than last year’s heater. He emptied the tank to finish his outing, striking out Chicago’s Luis Robert Jr. on a 96.5 mph fastball, his fastest pitch of the afternoon. In fact, Verlander threw his five hardest fastballs of the day — 95.2, 95.5, 95.7, 96.3, 96.5 — in that final at-bat against Robert.

Verlander committed a balk right before facing Robert and had some words for third-base umpire Nic Lentz, but Verlander said the velocity uptick wasn’t related to the balk and that he was going to empty the tank regardless.

While Verlander’s velocity was healthy, the spin rate on his four-seam fastball was down several RPMs, or revolutions per minute. Last season, Verlander’s average four-seamer generated 2395 RPMs, the first time in the Statcast era that he didn’t average at least 2400 RPMs. Against the White Sox, Verlander’s four-seam fastball averaged 2338 RPMs. That would still be above average, but not in the 2500 RPM range he averaged in his prime.

When it comes to four-seam fastballs, higher spin rates mean more backspin, and more backspin means less drop. There’s no such thing as a “rising” fastball, but rather a fastball that doesn’t drop as a hitter expects. Verlander’s four-seam fastball may not have generated as much spin as previous years, his battle against Robert proved that there’s still plenty of velocity he can access.

Along with the four-seam fastball, Verlander’s curveball also warrants attention. Pitching coach J.P. Martinez told reporters that Verlander was working on a curveball with more horizontal movement, and the numbers from Verlander’s outing against the White Sox bore that out.

Last season, Verlander’s curveball generated an average of 7.2 inches of horizontal break. On Monday, by comparison, Verlander’s curveball averaged 10 inches of horizontal break — a difference of about three inches. To achieve that increased horizontal movement, Verlander has sacrificed some vertical drop.

In 2024, the right-hander’s average curveball had 59.2 inches of vertical drop. Against the White Sox, Verlander’s curveball had an average 50 inches of vertical drop — a difference of roughly nine inches.