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The San Francisco Giants have called up 21-year-old first baseman Bryce Eldridge, one of baseball's top hitting prospects, to boost their struggling offense. Manager Tony Vitello expressed optimism about Eldridge's potential impact.
SAN FRANCISCO ā One of the top hitting prospects in baseball joined the leagueās worst offense Monday when the Giants called up 21-year-old first baseman Bryce Eldridge.
āHe likes what heās walking into,ā Tony Vitello, manager of the 13-21 squad, said. āIāll say that.ā
The Giants are hoping top prospect Bryce Eldridge can provide a spark in whatās been an anemic offense. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Giants rank last in the league in runs scored. They plated nine over the course of their most recent road trip while losing all six games. They rank last in walks and home runs, too.
This is no soft landing: Theyāre counting on the 6-foot-7 slugger to help turn things around.
In that case, some good news:
āIām feeling sexy at the plate right now,ā Eldridge said with a grin to a horde of more than a dozen reporters and cameras in front of his locker, where a No. 8 jersey hung.
Eldridge has been tearing the cover off the ball since the Giants optioned him to Triple-A in the final week of spring training, as has his more contact-oriented teammate, utility man Jesus Rodriguez.
Both players were added to the roster and in the lineup for the start of their home stand against the Padres on Monday. Trevor McDonald was also recalled to make a spot start.
In corresponding moves, Jerar Encarnacion, who is out of options, was designated for assignment, , another seldom-used outfielder, was optioned to Triple-A, and left-hander was placed on the injured list.
Bryce Eldridge is a 21-year-old first baseman and one of baseball's top hitting prospects, called up to help improve the Giants' struggling offense.
The San Francisco Giants currently have a record of 13 wins and 21 losses.
Bryce Eldridge is expected to provide a spark to the Giants' anemic offense, which has been struggling this season.
Manager Tony Vitello expressed that Eldridge is excited about joining the team and the opportunity he has in front of him.
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Jerar Encarnacion is being assigned to the minors after hitting .176 in limited about for the Giants this season. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Miller, arguably the clubās top reliever, isnāt expected to miss more than the minimum 15 days, Vitello said. The same lower back issue that sidelined him in spring training flared up again, he said.
Rodriguez, who also plays second base and left field, was behind the plate at catcher for his major-league debut. Acquired from the Yankees last summer for Camilo Doval, Rodriguez has hit above .300 in all six previous minor-league seasons and is batting .330 with an .840 OPS in 24 games this year.
āThat guy puts the bat on the ball a lot,ā Eldridge said. āI love hitting behind him.ā
Rodriguez has more walks (12) than strikeouts (11) this season, and while Eldridge is still striking out more than the Giants would like (29.9% in 137 plate appearances at Triple-A), he has also upped his walk rate (a career-high 15.3%). The Giantsā 69 walks in 34 games are 18 fewer than the next-closest team. Theyāre on pace to draw their fewest bases on balls in more than a century.
The patience has been a product of a concerted approach, Eldridge said. He was batting .333 with an on-base percentage of .445 and a .963 OPS at Triple-A. As a team, the Giantsā .287 on-base percentage is tied with the Mets for the worst in the majors.
āI think a big thing for me was taking my walks,ā Eldridge said. āGetting on base is huge for me. Being a power guy, starting to realize guys are trying to pitch around me more than attacking me, at that level at least. ⦠Being a power guy, thereās going to be strikeouts involved and whatnot. You can say all you want about that, but if Iām getting on base and Iām walking, I think it all evens out.ā
After hitting just .107 in 28 at-bats last season, Bryce Eldridge has been on a tear this year in the minors and will get a chance to be an everyday player under manager Tony Vitello. Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
The group Eldridge joined was also seeking its first home run in more than a week, stuck at 19 for the season since last Sunday ā still the last team below 20. Their two top sluggers, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, have been stuck in season-long slumps, leaving San Francisco searching for any kind of thump it can get.
Their most productive hitter has been Casey Schmitt, leaving Vitello with decisions to make regarding how to juggle the combination of Schmitt, Eldridge, Adames, Devers and third baseman Matt Chapman.
Chapman got the night off Monday, with Schmitt at third and Eldridge at DH. Vitello didnāt rule out the possibility of using Schmitt in the outfield, a spot heās never played in the big leagues.
While Vitello didnāt want to commit to Eldridge as an āeverydayā player, he said he wanted to make sure Eldridge and Rodriguez both got a āfair shotā with more than āsporadicā opportunities.
āHeās gotta be given room for error,ā Vitello said. āThereās gotta be a longer leash.ā