Bryce Eldridge Blasts Three Homers in High-A Showcase, Fuels Giants Fans’ MLB Call-Up Buzz

Bryce Eldridge is headed to the big leagues. Multiple club sources confirm the San Francisco Giants will promote their towering 6-foot-7 first-base prospect ahead of Monday’s opener in Arizona, adding a jolt of left-handed power to a lineup that sits 1½ games out of the final National League Wild Card spot with just 13 contests remaining. The 20-year-old slugger has split 2025 between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, combining for 25 home runs, 82 RBIs and a .263/.344/.514 slash line. At Triple-A alone he’s batting .248 with 18 homers, including a trio of long balls in the past week. MLB Pipeline lists Eldridge as baseball’s No. 13 overall prospect and the Giants’ consensus No. 1 farmhand. San Francisco’s urgency intensified after dependable defender Dom Smith strained his hamstring Friday, likely sidelining him for the rest of September. Manager Bob Melvin now has flexibility: Eldridge can spell Rafael Devers at first base, slide into the designated-hitter slot against right-handed pitching, or serve as a late-inning pinch-hit threat. Drafted 16th overall in 2023 as a two-way high-school star from Virginia, Eldridge initially split time between right field, the mound and first base. The Giants shelved his pitching program this spring to accelerate his bat, and the results have been eye-opening: exit velocities regularly top 112 mph, and he’s trimmed his strikeout rate to 24 percent since July. “I think everyone here wants a shot up there,” Eldridge told the Chronicle last month. “If it happens, it happens, and I’d be very, very grateful.” His wish arrives at a pivotal moment as the Giants open a nine-game road swing through Arizona, Colorado and Los Angeles. Scouts rave about Eldridge’s combination of leverage, plate discipline and improving footwork around the bag. Former Gold Glove first baseman J.T. Snow, who worked with him in Sacramento, called the progress “impressive” and believes the rookie can hold his own defensively right away. For the Giants, the calculus is simple: translate minor-league thunder into major-league production fast enough to chase October baseball. For fantasy managers and prospect watchers, Eldridge’s debut offers a fresh storyline—one that could shift the NL playoff picture and satisfy surging online curiosity about one of baseball’s most intriguing young sluggers.