Mike Krukow issues warning as pair of SF Giants rookies go cold at the plate

The SF Giants called up a pair of rookies earlier in May hoping to turn the team’s fortunes around. While the Giants have played better since Bryce Eldridge and Jesus Rodriguez were called up, that hasn’t had a ton to do with what those two rookies have done. Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow gave a warning on their struggles.

“They’re both gonna have to hit because they both have to play and if they’re not hitting, you can’t play them, and if you can’t play them, then they have to go down," Krukow said on KNBR.

It’s a fair point because it’s all well and good to say “play the kids” but if the kids simply aren’t producing then they shouldn’t just be left in the lineup if they are overmatched at the big league level.

Eldridge has shown some promise and has hit the ball hard so he hasn’t had the best of luck at the plate, but still his numbers are not pretty. He’s hitting .083/.185/.208 with one home run which also accounts for his only run batted in. He’s drawn three walks and has struck out nine times.

Odds have been stacked against both Eldridge and Rodriguez

It’s tough because it’s been hard for manager Tony Vitello to work Eldridge into the lineup every day, much to the chagrin of a loud contingent of the fanbase, so he hasn’t gotten the most consistent playing time which may be partly to blame for those numbers since he can’t really establish a rhythm at the plate.

However, the injury to Heliot Ramos may have opened the door to more consistent playing time since the Giants are experimenting with having Casey Schmitt start in left field which opens up the designated hitter spot for Eldridge. We will see if that experiment works out but no matter what Eldridge is going to have to start hitting otherwise he may get demoted.

It’s a similar story for Rodriguez. While the 24-year-old was swinging a hit bat when he first got called up he’s cooled off since then and is hitting .214/.267/.321 with one home run and four runs batted in. 

Rodriguez has struggled defensively at catcher and with Daniel Susac back from injury that will make it tougher for him to get playing time behind the plate. He can also play second base and either left or right field but his defense as a whole is a bit questionable so the only way he is going to get opportunities is if he hits more consistently.

If the Giants were rebuilding and didnt care about wins and losses then they’d probably run Eldridge and Rodriguez out there every day and just let them work through their struggles. But they are a team with expensive veterans trying to claw their way back to relevance after a brutal start to the season. They can’t just play the rookies at the expense of winning games just yet so they really will have to earn their keep otherwise Krukow will be right and they will get sent down at some point.

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