SF Giants may need to move on from fan-favorite to make room for top prospect

With the SF Giants deciding to sell at the trade deadline after a disastrous start to the second half, they can now give younger players an opportunity. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge could be one such player, but the team may need to move on from fan-favorite Wilmer Flores first.

Eldridge has been on a tear at the plate recently. He just had his first multi-homer game in Triple-A and looks to be finding his stride with the Sacramento River Cats.

SF Giants may need to move on from Flores to make room for Eldridge

On the season in Triple-A, Eldridge is slashing .237/.294/.509 with nine home runs and 31 runs batted in. Combine that with the seven home runs he hit in Double-A earlier this season and he has 16 on the year.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey probably wants to see a little more consistency before promoting Eldridge to the Giants, but in a season that seems very unlikely to result in a playoff berth, the Giants should strongly consider calling Eldridge up at some point to get him some big league experience.

The only thing that would be standing in the top prospect's way is Wilmer Flores. With Rafael Devers getting more reps at first base recently, Wilmer Flores has seen more time as the designated hitter. If Eldridge were to be called up, it would make sense to have him get most of his reps as the DH since his defense at first base still needs some more work.

Flores started off the year strong for San Francisco, but he has cooled off considerably. For the season, he is slashing .249/.318/.380 with 12 home runs and 59 runs batted in.

He has been a solid Giant for a long time, so it would be a bit unceremonious for the Giants to designate him for assignment or release him after all the good he has done for the team. Yet, with him set to be a free agent following the year and unlikely to return to the Giants, it may be more courteous for the Giants to let him go find a situation with a team where he could make more of an impact in the last two months of the season.

Eldridge obviously figures into the team's long-term plans, so getting him a taste of the big leagues is far more valuable than Flores getting at-bats in September games that are meaningless.

The Giants may stick with Flores for now as they still grasp to the hope of some sort of miracle, but once it becomes abundantly clear the playoffs are out of reach, it will be time to move on from Flores and give Eldridge a chance.

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