SF Giants do not plan on calling up top power-hitting prospect before end of the season

Bryce Eldridge's meteoric rise through the minor league season continued on Friday. However, Triple-A looks like it will be his final stop of the year as the SF Giants do not plan on calling him up according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

SF Giants do not plan on calling up top power-hitting prospect before end of the season

Pavlovic also confirms that Eldridge will head to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions in October. If you cannot get enough baseball even when the season ends, going to the AFL is a fun and accessible experience.

When Eldridge was promoted to the Sacramento River Cats, there was some level of belief that he could be called up once their season came to an end. However, Pavlovic's report pours cold water on that idea and that is a good thing.

The 19-year-old hitter is finishing up one of the more impressive seasons by a Giants prospect in recent memory. He has registered a .294/.375/.532 line with 23 home runs and 90 RBI in 488 plate appearances split across four levels. This includes a torrid pace with the Eugene Emeralds where he posted a 1.060 OPS with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 215 plate appearances before a brief promotion to Double-A.

This year has been a success for the Giants' top prospect. However, there is no need to rush him to the majors at this point. If they did, there would be more than just a hint of desperation from a front office that is deservedly on the hot seat and wants to prove that it has finally found a potential cornerstone bat in the draft. That is not worth the downstream effect that comes with adding a player to the 40-man roster.

If the Giants were to add a prospect in his age-19 season to the 40-man roster, they better be 100 percent certain that he can stick right away. Otherwise, it is a colossal mistake. Players at that age still have a lot of development left to realize and this is not to say that is the case for Eldridge. He has certainly looked the part against minor league pitching.

That said, three minor league option years can go quickly, so does it make sense to potentially be in a position where Eldridge has burned all three by the end of his age-22 season? That is a gamble they just do not need to make today.

The 6-foot-7 first baseman will have the target on his back as soon as next year begins. He could even be knocking on the door with a strong spring training. More than likely, the Giants will want him to get a little more minor league seasoning in the upper minors and that is not a bad thing. Nevertheless, Eldridge is one step closer to debuting with San Francisco and he could be here sooner than we think, but 2024 is too soon to make that decision.