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Tony Vitello, SF Giants reverse course on Bryce Eldridge after fan backlash

Maybe getting angry on social media actually works.
ByNick San Miguel|
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May 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello (23) reacts after infielder Christian Koss (50) was hit in the head with a pitch thrown by pitcher Cam Sanders (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
May 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello (23) reacts after infielder Christian Koss (50) was hit in the head with a pitch thrown by pitcher Cam Sanders (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Many SF Giants fans were up in arms over manager Tony Vitello’s comments yesterday about Bryce Eldridge. He seemed to say that Eldridge would largely be limited to pinch hit duties which rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way.

Yet, it seems Vitello and the Giants have reversed course because after Monday night’s win against the Los Angeles Dodgers Vitello said that Eldridge would be in the lineup on Tuesday night.

Eldridge back in the lineup on Tuesday after fan uproar

It is a pretty stark reversal but maybe the Giants saw how upset fans were and have decided to change course or maybe the plan was to have Eldridge start on Tuesday all along and Vitello's words were just misconstrued. Vitello probably isn’t making these decisions alone as the coaching staff and the front office surely has some input on the lineup. 

The Giants don’t have any easy decisions to make when it comes to the lineup. If Eldridge is in the lineup, that means one of the following players is going to have to be out of the lineup: Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Luis Arraez, or Casey Schmitt.

A week or two ago, fans would not have had a problem with the Giants benching Devers or Adames in favor of Eldridge but now those two guys are finally starting to heat up.

Schmitt has been one of the best hitters on the team all year so it’s really tough to take him out of the lineup. Arraez is as consistent as they come. Really Chapman is the only one cold enough to warrant a day off every now and then but he’s still a respected veteran who the Giants aren’t going to be quitting on any time soon.

It’s not easy, but it just seems odd for the Giants to call Eldridge up only to have him ride the pine. Maybe the Giants just made a reactionary move after the bad start to the season and felt the need to call him and Jesus Rodriguez up to put the veterans on notice. If so it may have worked because the Giants have played some better ball in the past week.

We’ll have to see how often Eldridge will get opportunities going forward, but many fans will be relieved that he is going to be back in the lineup on Tuesday night. Don't expect him to be in there every day, but the Giants are going to have to be a bit creative to make sure he doesn't just waste away on the bench.

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