SF Giants make mind-boggling lineup decision with Bryce Eldridge on Sunday

The SF Giants published its lineup in the rubber match of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bryce Eldridge was not in the lineup, which begs the question: Why is he even on the roster?

SF Giants make mind-boggling lineup decision with Bryce Eldridge on Sunday

This was the second game of this series that Eldridge was not in the lineup. If they were facing off against a left-handed pitcher, then it might make some sense to sit him on the bench.

That was not the case in this series. The Giants have faced off against three right-handed pitchers, and this is due in part to the clunkiness of the roster. The Giants have a handful of underperforming veterans, including Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames. Given how much those three are making, they will be in the lineup, even if their performance has not met expectations.

On the other hand, Casey Schmitt has been the club's best hitter. They have been trying to navigate this glut by finding different ways to get Schmitt into the lineup while giving some of the veterans a day off.

Unfortunately, this maneuver is also limiting ways to get Eldridge into the lineup. His primary positions are first base and DH, which is the same for Devers. The Giants already had a lot of coverage at those spots before Eldridge was called up.

This will likely be a narrative for Eldridge, so long as the clunkiness of the rest of the roster exists. It does pose the question of why even promote him in the first place if he is not going to receive everyday at-bats.

The left-handed bat forced the decision with the way he was hitting the ball in Triple-A. He had a .963 OPS with five home runs and 22 RBI in 137 plate appearances for the Sacramento River Cats this season.

After 458 career plate appearances at Triple-A, it is fair to say that Eldridge had nothing left to prove at that level. If he is going to see regular time on the bench, then it just does not make a lot of sense to have him on the major league roster.

The Giants have had questionable development decisions over the past few years, and in the early going, this is yet another example of that. If the 21-year-old is going to be on the roster, then he needs to see everyday at-bats. How do they make that happen? They need to start having some tough conversations with their veterans about taking more time off, as a way to create some playing time for Eldridge. It might pull them out of their comfort zone, but after a disastrous start, that might not be such a bad thing.

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