![\"Tennessee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-24-at-8.19.06-PM.png\")
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Former Tennessee Volunteers baseball coach Tony Vitello, who is in his first season in the big leagues, has had to put out quite a few fires during his first few months as the manager of the San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n
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One of the biggest \u201ccontroversies\u201d that former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello has had to deal with in his first season as the manager of the San Francisco Giants has centered around infielder Bryce Eldridge and his playing time. <\/p>\n
Eldridge, one of the Giants\u2019 top prospects, was recalled to the big leagues on May 4, but he\u2019s received inconsistent playing time over the last couple of weeks, leading some folks to question if calling him up was the right move. <\/p>\n
The Virginia native is hitting .179 with just two extra-base hits and two RBIs while playing sporadically. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like that personally, and I\u2019m not sure how they\u2019re gonna figure that out, but it\u2019s so hard to learn the big leagues, and this is a prospect that you\u2019re looking at being a franchise kind of guy,\u201d said former Giants outfielder Hunter Pence this week on 95.7 The Game\u2019s Willard and Dibs show<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s got that kind of talent. He\u2019s still so young. I would want him playing every day, personally.\u201d<\/p>\n Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey addressed Eldridge\u2019s playing time during a tense interview with KNBR<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re trying to get the 21-year-old in the best spots you can,\u201d said Posey. \u201cHopefully, everybody sees, too, the positive that Casey Schmitt\u2019s playing as well as he is. The other guys, I think Bryce was going to originally have some time playing for, are going to be some of our veterans who started to pick up as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Giants GM throws Tony Vitello under the bus<\/p>\n The big question that fans have been asking about Eldridge is, \u201cWho is responsible for deciding when Bryce Eldridge is in the lineup?\u201d <\/p>\n Some fans have speculated that Posey and the Giants\u2019 front office is making the lineup decisions, while others suggest it\u2019s Vitello. <\/p>\n On Sunday, former MLB general manager turned analyst Jim Bowden revealed that Giants general manager Zack Minasian, who works under Posey, told him that Vitello is responsible for Eldridge\u2019s uneven playing time. <\/p>\n The #SFGiants<\/a> handling and usage of Bryce Eldridge is the decision of Tony Vitello. GM Zack Minasian told me moments ago: “We are all in this together but the lineup decisions and construction is Tony\u2019s call”<\/p>\n \u2014 Jim Bowden\u26be\ufe0f (@JimBowdenGM) May 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n I think two things are true here: Eldridge needs to play every day to reach his potential (the same is true for all young big leaguers), and Vitello has to put a lineup out that he believes can win each day. If Vitello doesn\u2019t think Eldridge gives the Giants the best chance to win that day, then why put him in the lineup? It may not be what\u2019s best for Eldridge\u2019s development, but again, Vitello has to try to win each day. <\/p>\n That\u2019s why I was surprised to hear the Giants general manager essentially put the blame on Vitello for the way Eldridge is being handled (it was the front office\u2019s decision, after all, to recall Eldridge). <\/p>\n Vitello\u2019s undoubtedly off to a rocky start in MLB, and stuff like this won\u2019t make his journey any smoother. <\/p>\n Who knows, maybe Vitello is reconsidering his relationship with Tennessee athletic director Danny White <\/a>after experiencing life in the big leagues with general managers who are quick to throw managers under the bus\u2026<\/p>\n \t\t\t Tennessee Volunteers News<\/p>\n![\"Tennessee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-24-at-11.18.21-AM-200x200.png\")
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