The Giants will develop prospects Bryce Eldridge again Jesus Rodriguez before Monday’s game with the Padres, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Slusser wrote earlier today that the Giants were “strongly considering” bringing the duo to the exhibition, and neither Eldridge nor Rodriguez were on the roster today for Triple-A Sacramento.
Both players are already on the 40-man roster, so the Giants will only need to make two changes to the 26-man roster to make room. Eldridge made his MLB debut in a 10-game stretch last season, while Rodriguez is coming off his big league debut.
While no one expects the two rookies to change the team’s fortunes immediately, it’s no surprise that the Giants are looking for any kind of spark for their offensive offense. Heading into Sunday’s action, San Francisco ranked 30th out of 30 teams in runs (105), home runs (19), and stolen bases (eight), while ranking 29th in OBP (.289) and OPS (.646).
The streak went up 2-1 today, losing to the Rays in 10 innings, while the Giants have lost six games in a row. The 12-win Mets are the only team in baseball with fewer wins than the 13-21 Giants, underscoring San Francisco’s struggles through the first five weeks of play.
Eldridge has been a consensus prospect for 30 over the past few years, though the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft hit just .107/.297/.179 during his first 37 plate appearances in the Show. He has started in 13 of those 37 trips to the plate, and the Giants’ decision to start Eldridge’s 2026 campaign in Triple-A was due to the team’s desire to see the 21-year-old correct those communication issues. This particular issue has not been addressed since Eldridge has struck out 41 times in 137 PA so far in Sacramento this season, but he is hitting .333/.445/.518 with five home runs.
Although Eldridge played 23 games in right field in his first major league season, he has only played first base. That means the Giants will have to use Eldridge once Rafael Devers in other combinations as first baseman and DH. Casey Schmitt he’s been in that share of time with Devers so far, and removing Schmitt from the lineup is problematic since Schmitt (surprisingly) has been far from the Giants’ best starting pitcher.
Schmitt has experience at all four infield positions, but moving him to another spot around the diamond would mean the Giants would have to land one of Devers, Luis Arraez, Matt Chapmanor Willy Adams. Arraez is the only member of that group to hit well, but the Giants may be reluctant to give at-bats to any high-paid veterans even with their decline.
Rodriguez will bring more defensive flexibility to Tony Vitello’s lineup. The 24-year-old has played mostly as a catcher and third baseman in his minor league career, with some time in left field and both outfield positions. Rodriguez has remained behind the plate this season in Sacramento, but has made two appearances at second base and five appearances in left field.
As much as this extra versatility adds to Rodriguez’s resume, he may end up in the catcher position. Patrick Bailey is hitting even below average, and the Giants may want to get more pop out of the lineup even if it means going down in terms of defensive tackles. Rule 5 choose Daniel Susac started off hot at the plate, but is expected to miss maybe another week on the 10-day IL while he recovers from elbow neuritis. A veteran Eric Haase had his minor league contract optioned after Susac’s injury and is likely to be DFA optioned tomorrow if Rodriguez is called up.
For all of Rodriguez’s multi-position usage, he is not considered a defender at any position. As a catcher, Rodriguez has subpar blocking and receiving skills, although he is a good pitch-framer and has a good throwing arm.
At the plate, Rodriguez has posted at least solid hitting numbers across the minors, including a .330/.400/.440 slash line with two home runs over 115 Triple-A plate appearances this year. Rodriguez has the ability to get on base and make a lot of solid contact, however reports from MLB Pipeline and Baseball America note that his contact ability can work against him to some extent – Rodriguez follows a lot of pitches outside of the strike zone, resulting in less than optimal contact.
Pipeline ranks Rodriguez 18th on their list of Giants prospects, while Baseball America ranks him 19th. He began his international career in the Yankees’ farm system, and Rodriguez was one of four minor leaguers acquired during last year’s trade deadline as San Francisco’s return to shipping. Camilo Doval in the Bronx.
