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If he keeps improving, the San Francisco Giants will soon have to call up top prospect Bryce Eldridge.<\/p>\n
It was notable when, at the end of spring training, the San Francisco Giants<\/a> decided that top prospect Bryce Eldridge would start the season in the minor leagues. Judging by his early-season performances in Triple-A Sacramento, Eldridge won\u2019t be there for long.<\/p>\n In fact, Eldridge\u2019s early-season success in Triple-A is such that, barring a significant cooldown, the Giants<\/a> will have no choice but to bring him up sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n Unless otherwise noted, stats are accurate through play on Friday, April 10.<\/p>\n Bryce Eldridge Is Becoming a More Well Rounded Hitter<\/p>\n Eldridge, who checks in at 6-foot-7 and weighs 251 pounds, has never lacked power. Over three levels of Minor League Baseball in 2025, Eldridge hit 25 home runs in 102 at-bats. That included 18 home runs over 66 games (253 at-bats) in Triple-A Sacramento. It\u2019s easy to see why he\u2019s regarded<\/a> as the best power-hitting prospect<\/a> in baseball.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8 BRYCE ELDRIDGE HOMER CLEARS THE BULLPENS \ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8\ud83d\udea8 <\/p>\n Eldridge\u2019s problem has been a feast-or-famine approach. In 2025, he produced a .260\/.333\/.510 slash line in the minors, going .249\/.322\/.514 in Triple-A. That\u2019s not terrible, by any means, but Eldridge certainly entered 2026 as a work in progress.<\/p>\n In the early part of 2026, he\u2019s shown much of the progress the Giants wanted to see.<\/p>\n Eldridge is slashing<\/a> .360\/.492 \/.520. To be fair, this early in the season, a hot few games can do a lot to a player\u2019s numbers. Over three games from Wednesday, April 8, through April 10, Eldridge was a scalding 9-for-14, slashing .643\/.667\/1.000.<\/p>\n Before his hot streak, Eldridge had a more moderate .250\/.438\/.333 slash line. While it would certainly be fair to label the .250 batting average and .333 slugging percentage as modest, we can\u2019t say the same about a .438 OBP. That shows us that, even before his hot streak, Eldridge was being selective about the pitches he offered at. It also shows that he can be effective at getting on base even when the power isn\u2019t totally clicking.<\/p>\n Of course, Eldridge improving isn\u2019t the only factor in him getting called up. The other is finding a place to play him, which means identifying an odd man out of the current group.<\/p>\n The Giants Have Two Realistic Options for Eldridge To Replace<\/p>\n Long term, Eldridge\u2019s role with the Giants will likely be at either first base or designated hitter. Through the early part of 2026, those roles have been manned mostly by Casey Schmitt and Rafael Devers. There\u2019s no sugarcoating it: Devers is off to a terrible start in 2026. That said, he\u2019s not going anywhere. Schmitt, on the other hand, could certainly be a candidate.<\/p>\n If we were making this decision after the opening series of the year, Schmitt would almost certainly be the odd man out. But since going 0-for-9 in that season-opening series against the New York Yankees<\/a>, Schmitt\u2019s play has been strong.<\/p>\n After the series with the Yankees, Schmitt has slashed at .476\/.542\/.714, posting five doubles. He\u2019s also helped spark the team, as the Giants are 5-1 in games Schmitt has played since the sweep against New York. Schmitt can also play anywhere on the infield (first base might actually be his worst position<\/a>).<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve already noted, Eldridge and Devers are San Francisco\u2019s first base\/designated hitter tandem of the future. So, long term, Schmitt is probably the odd man out. Short terms, though? That may be a different story.<\/p>\n Several Giants have been underwhelming early in 2026. Still, it\u2019s hard to find a more disappointing group than the trio that has been San Francisco\u2019s primary starting outfield, Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Lee. Combined, Ramos, Bader and Lee are slashing .159\/.204\/.241. Eldridge, meanwhile, was working on his outfield defense<\/a> in spring training.<\/p>\n Realistically, Eldridge can inject a spark into the struggling outfield, but whose spot would he take?<\/p>\n