Bryce Eldridge is forcing SF Giants into an impossible decision after two-homer game

While the SF Giants would be wise to exhibit patience when it comes to top prospect Bryce Eldridge, but is he making it hard. He just had a huge game in Triple-A for the Sacramento River Cats and is banging on the door for a promotion.

Last night against the Salt Lake Bees, Eldridge had four hits in five at-bats including two home runs while driving in six runs. It was a huge night and he is now hitting .327/.426/.529 with five home runs and 20 runs batted in.

Many fans understandably want the Giants to call Eldridge up right now but there really isn’t a place for him on the roster. With Casey Schmitt swinging the bat the way he is as the designated hitter and Rafael Devers entrenched in the lineup no matter what as he tries to work through his struggles, Eldridge would be relegated to a bench role if he was called up.

Giants need to be patient even with Eldridge on fire

That is not what he needs right now. He needs regular, consistent at-bats whether that’s at the big league level or in Triple-A. Sticking him on the bench and using him as a pinch hitter would not be in the best interest of his long-term development.

One might argue that the Giants could use Eldridge and Schmitt in a platoon at the DH spot with Eldridge starting against right-handed pitchers and Schmitt starting against lefties. That could make some sense as Schmitt is hitting .241/.297/.483 against righties and .385/.429/.615 against lefties as of this writing, but he is still having a solid season on the whole so he’s earned that DH spot for now.

That can change, though. If Schmitt cools off in the next few weeks or there’s an injury to an infielder and Schmitt is forced to fill in there, then that could open the door for Eldridge to be plugged into the DH spot in the lineup.

This is working out exactly how the Giants would’ve drawn it up though. Instead of Eldridge starting the year on the big league roster and being forced to learn on the fly with a lot of pressure on him, now when he gets called up he’ll be swinging a hot bat and will have more confidence.

Eldridge has struck out 36 times in 104 at-bats which is definitely a concern, but the Giants will probably be okay with a high strikeout rate as long as he is hitting the ball out of the ballpark. 

It’s a tough decision, but the Giants should be patient and wait for the right moment to call Eldridge up so he can get actual playing time and doesn’t just end up wasting away on the bench. 

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