Top SF Giants prospect could miss up to a month following hamstring strain

The SF Giants received some bad news on Tuesday. According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, top prospect Bryce Eldridge could miss three to four weeks after suffering a hamstring strain.

Top SF Giants prospect could miss up to a month following hamstring strain

The injury occurred in Saturday's game against the Salt Lake Bees. Eldridge lined a double to right field. He was immediately lifted from the game and replaced by Drew Ellis. Eldridge did not appear in Sunday's series finale against the Bees.

This is tough news for Eldridge. The left-handed bat missed the first month of the minor league season after sustaining a wrist injury. When he did return, he posted an .862 OPS with seven home runs and 20 RBI in 140 plate appearances with the Richmond Flying Squirrels before earning a
promotion to Triple-A.

Eldridge's time with the Sacramento River Cats did not go quite as smoothly, as he tallied a .710 OPS with three home runs and 13 RBI in 67 plate appearances.

That said, the power bat was one of just five prospects in their age-20 season to take an at-bat in Triple-A this season. The others include some notable top prospects around the league, including Samuel Basallo of the Baltimore Orioles.

With the struggles at first base earlier in the year, the questions began to percolate about when Eldridge would be ready. The Giants have quelled those concerns with the additions of Dominic Smith and Rafael Devers.

In particular, Devers is expected to take over at first base when the coaching staff deems him ready. Matt Williams, Will Clark, and Mark Hallberg are among the coaches working with him at first base.

There was a possibility that Eldridge could debut with the Giants later this season. This would assume that he was hitting well and adjusting nicely to first base.

Perhaps, the hamstring injury pushes Eldridge's debut back to 2026. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows him more time to develop in the minors. When the Giants do call him up, they will want to be sure that it is for good.