Don't look now, but SF Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge is heating up in Triple-A

While SF Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge did not make the team’s Opening Day roster, he is already making some noise down in Triple-A. That’s exactly what he needed to do if he wants to get called up sooner than he did last season.

Last night, Eldridge had four hits in five at-bats including an RBI double. While he was not one of the on-fire Triple-A bats we looked at recently, he now has to be considered hot and dangerous after that big game.

Bryce Eldridge is heating up in Triple-A after big game

Eldridge is now slashing .360/.492/.520 with one homer and eight runs batted in. He has drawn 10 walks but the strikeout rate is still a little bit alarming as he has struck out 19 times which is almost a third of his plate appearances. Strikeouts were a big concern in spring training as well.

Maybe the Giants will just have to accept the fact that he’s going to strike out a lot if he gets called up. As long as he’s hitting homers like the ones he did after he got demoted towards the end of spring training, then it should more than make up for it.

Even though the 21-year-old is swinging a hot bat right now, do not expect an immediate call-up. It’s still early in the season and the Giants are trying to get settled with their big league roster. 

If the offense was really in trouble, then maybe an Eldridge promotion would be imminent. But Rafael Devers has started to swing the bat better and Casey Schmitt just had his best game of the season as the designated hitter in Baltimore last night, recording three hits in five at-bats including an RBI double.

The guy whose roster spot is most threatened by Eldridge getting hot is outfielder Jerar Encarnacion. The tall slugger is currently hitting .263 which setting periodic starts off the bench. He would most likely be DFA’d if the Giants did promote Eldridge. 

The Giants aren’t going to promote Eldridge just to have him sit on the bench, though. Once the Giants start getting less production than needed out of the DH spot, then expect Eldridge to get called up.

It may not be in a week or even in a month, but if he continues to make noise down in Triple-A then the Giants will have to promote him eventually.