With Giants manager Bob Melvin telling reporters Tuesday that Rafael Devers eventually will play first base in San Francisco this season, the focus naturally turns to the organization's top prospect, first baseman Bryce Eldridge.
The 20-year-old Eldridge already is at Triple-A and could be in the big leagues as early as September, if his development progresses properly.
But with Devers joining Wilmer Flores and Dominic Smith in the first base mix at some point this season, president of baseball operations Buster Posey was asked about what it all means for Eldridge.
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SIGN UP HERE "I see his development path as the same," Posey said during Devers' introductory press conference Tuesday at Oracle Park. "He's going to keep playing first, keep developing at the plate. It's a conversation Raffy and I have had already about Bryce and the future we potentially see him having. Par for the course for him, going forward."
Eldridge, the Giants' 2023 first-round draft pick (No. 16 overall), is skyrocketing through the minor leagues and is knocking on the big-league door.
Eldridge began the 2025 minor-league season at Double-A Richmond and hit .280/.350/.512 with seven homers and 20 RBI in 34 games. Those numbers earned him a promotion to Sacramento, where he is hitting .143/.213/.286 with two homers and nine RBI in 11 games.
Before the Giants signed Smith and designated LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment on June 4, some fans wondered if Eldridge's stay at Triple-A might be short.
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But Smith has fit in well with the Giants, and now Devers will learn to field a position he never has played as a professional.
So, while there is excitement surrounding Eldridge's eventual arrival, the Giants have three options on the 26-man roster, so they don't have to rush their top prospect's development.