PHOENIX -- Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge was trying to get through security at the Oklahoma City airport on Sunday after the conclusion of the Sacramento River Cats’ long road series against the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.
But his trip was about to get longer.
He put his backpack on the conveyer belt for the X-ray machine and put his phone in a bin right behind. Luckily that phone was face up so he could see the call from River Cats manager Dave Brundage.
Brundage was already on the plane, so Eldridge thought it was strange.
“I thought, ‘I should take this,’” he said, “so I got out in the middle of the security line and he told me I was coming down here.”
The Giants made the move official on Monday, calling up the 20-year-old slugger to help fill the void left by Dominic Smith, who will likely miss the rest of the regular season with a hamstring strain.
Eldridge’s flight to Phoenix was delayed till midnight, but eventually he arrived in the desert, though he didn’t have any of his baseball equipment, because that bag never made it off the plane bound for Sacramento.
“Thankfully, my car is at the Papago complex and I have some cleats and some bats and batting gloves in there,” Eldridge said ahead of his Major League debut. “So we’re gonna use those for tonight and make do with what we got.”
Eldridge laced up the size 14 cleats from his car, scrounged up a bat that fit his specs and found himself slotted in the five-spot as DH as the Giants and D-backs opened a showdown between NL Wild Card hopefuls at Chase Field.
He went 0-for-3 as the Giants took a third straight loss, 8-1, but Eldridge’s third at-bat was a 407-foot flyout at the wall in left-center that would have been a homer in 23 ballparks, according to Statcast.
“I knew I hit it good, so I was kind of hoping it was going to drop somewhere, but [center fielder Jorge] Barrosa made a good play,” Eldridge said. “But definitely a confidence-booster.”
Eldridge, selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, is one of the Giants’ most promising power-hitting prospects in recent memory. But were there any reservations turning to such a young player in the middle of a playoff push?
“There weren’t any for me,” said president of baseball operations Buster Posey. “I think it’s a credit to Bryce and his maturity level. Getting to watch him this spring and then watching him this year and in the interactions I’ve had with him, I think he has the type of personality where he’ll probably embrace this environment. He’s not going to be a guy who’s going to shy away from having some really big at-bats for us.”
The 6-foot-7 slugger hit .249 with an .836 OPS and 18 home runs over 66 games with Triple-A Sacramento. He also crushed seven homers at Double-A Richmond earlier this season, giving him 25 across both levels.
Manager Bob Melvin is eager to see some of that in the Giants’ lineup.
“He’s got some power and this place [Chase Field], you can hit a lot of homers here, so let’s get him in the lineup and see what kind of production we can get out of him,” Melvin said. “All the reports are that he’s swinging the bat really well right now, and we’re looking to increase our production.”
Melvin said the plan initially is to use Eldridge as the designated hitter against right-handed starting pitchers, but he didn’t rule out action at first base at some point.
“My message to him was to go up there and hit,” said Melvin. “Right now, it’s going to be as a DH and we’ll see where it goes.”
Eldridge had hoped to be developed as a two-way player after he was drafted by the Giants, but he ultimately committed to becoming a full-time first baseman last year. His defense isn’t quite as refined as his bat, but the Giants believe he’s made major strides at first base after working with instructors like Will Clark and J.T. Snow.
“I think I could go out and play above-average first base in the big leagues. That’s just how I feel,” Eldridge said. “I think a lot of people kind of downplay how well I think I’ve done on defense this year. I’ve been working my tail off to get better every day, and I think any of the coaches I’ve been with this year will tell you that.”
Eldridge does have some swing-and-miss in his game, as he’s struck out 88 times in 286 plate appearances (30.7%) at Sacramento this year, but Melvin thinks he has the makeup to execute against big league pitching.
“Some guys feel like they’re a little bit farther along in how they handle things,” Melvin said. “There’s been a spotlight on him basically his entire career, and he’s been able to handle those things pretty well.”