Many SF Giants fans wish Melvin wasn't joking about Bryce Eldridge call-up

The top prospect in the SF Giants organization wasted no time making noise in his 2025 minor league debut. Bryce Eldridge went yard in his first Double-A at-bat and Giants manager Bob Melvin joked that they would call him up immediately.

Many SF Giants fans wish team would call up Eldridge immediately

It was an impressive swing of the bat for Eldridge as he crushed a breaking ball to right-center field, showing no ill effects from the wrist injury that delayed his start to the season. The homer was reminiscent of the mammoth one he blasted in his first game of spring training earlier this year.

Prior to Tuesday's game between the Giants and Milwaukee Brewers, reporters asked Melvin about Eldridge and asked whether he had seen his first at-bat of the year with Richmond. He said he had not so one of the reporters showed him the video of his home run from their phone and Melvin deadpanned, "Alright, we'll get him here now."

Obviously, Melvin was joking. That will not stop some fans from already demanding that Eldridge be promoted to the big leagues even though he is just 20 years old and has less than 600 minor-league at-bats.

It is easy to understand why fans would want to see Eldridge with the Giants after the slow start from LaMonte Wade Jr. to begin the season. Eldridge is seen as the first baseman of the future for the Giants, but Wade's struggles at the plate have made some wish that future would come sooner rather than later.

However, the Giants would be wise to take their time with Eldridge. In recent years the team has rushed up top prospects too soon which harmed their development and their confidence. While it is easy to overreact to Wade's rough start, he is a veteran who has performed well in the past so he deserves some time to figure things out. There are also other options who could provide some offensive production at first base.

Before Melvin was shown the video of Eldridge's homer, he spoke about how he believes that guys can earn promotions through good play. If Eldridge tears it up in Double-A for a month or two and then earns a promotion to Triple-A where he continues to rake, then it is reasonable that Eldridge could be promoted.

Melvin also noted that the team is getting good production at the designated hitter spot in the lineup from Wilmer Flores, leaving unsaid the fact that Eldridge's defense at first base is still a work in progress. He is going to need to show he can handle first base at the big league level in addition to hitting well before he is promoted to the Giants.

Nonetheless, it is okay to get excited about Eldridge hitting a bomb in his first at-bat in Richmond. While Melvin joked about calling him up, if he continues to impress in the minors that joke could become a lot more serious in the not-too-distant future.