Giants' top prospect Eldridge flashes familiar power in 2025 debut

Giants' top prospect Eldridge flashes familiar power in 2025 debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — When he sat down for his daily pregame session with reporters on Tuesday, Giants manager Bob Melvin was aware that Bryce Eldridge was in Double-A Richmond’s lineup. But the Flying Squirrels started their game right around the time the Giants were taking the field for their workout, so Melvin hadn’t heard how Eldridge was doing in his season debut.

“Hopefully he gets off to a good start and does his thing and we’ll see where it goes from there,” he said. 

The return to the field couldn’t have gone any better. 

Eldridge, the organization’s top prospect, got a hanging breaking ball in his first at-bat of the season and crushed a solo homer to center. It was a nice reminder for the Giants of what might be on the way later this season if they need help at first base or designated hitter. 

Top @SFGiants prospect Bryce Eldridge homers in his first at-bat of the season in Double-A ???? pic.twitter.com/Tkj1GYOixb

— MLB (@MLB) April 22, 2025

Eldridge was in big-league camp this spring and homered in his first Cactus League game, too, but he felt left wrist discomfort in early March and was sidelined most of that month. He missed the start of the minor-league season and had been rehabbing in Arizona up until this week. The Giants did multiple tests on Eldridge’s wrist and never had concerns that there was a serious injury, but given his importance to the franchise’s future, they wanted to be overly cautious with the timeline. 

The 20-year-old finally was cleared to return to action on Tuesday, and it wasn’t a surprise that he ended up back in Richmond. He played just nine games there last season before a late promotion to Triple-A to end the year, and the Giants were leaning toward a second crack at Double-A even before the wrist inflammation popped up. President of baseball operations Buster Posey and vice president of player development Randy Winn have made it clear that they no longer want to rush prospects, and Eldridge is the best talent the Giants have had in their minor-league system in years.

The 20-year-old is coming off a breakout first professional season that included a .890 OPS and 23 homers. The Giants know the power could play in the big leagues right now, but they want Eldridge to continue to sharpen his approach at the plate and his defense at first base, a position where he still is learning some of the basics. 

Asked Tuesday if Eldridge’s timeline could be impacted by what’s happening in the big leagues, Melvin said he’s not sure. The Giants entered Tuesday’s game with a .476 OPS from their first basemen, which ranked 29th in the majors. 

“He’s going to have to perform to get here, and that’s something Buster has stated,” Melvin said. “If you perform well, then you’ve got an opportunity to get to the big leagues, and we’ve done that here.”

Melvin pointed out that the Giants have gotten good production out of Wilmer Flores, their DH, and he said he’s still confident in LaMonte Wade Jr. The veteran is batting just .103 with one homer through 19 games. 

“LaMonte is going to pick it up, too,” Melvin said. 

The Giants won’t rush Eldridge, but given their lack of production at first, it sure will get interesting if he hits the ground running. Shortly after he said he hopes Eldridge gets off to a good start, Melvin was informed that he homered in his first at-bat and shown the video by a reporter.

“Alright, well, get him here now,” he joked. 

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