SAN FRANCISCO -- Bryce Eldridge knows what he has to do to get back to the Majors.
He isn’t going to rush it, though.
After a tough Spring Training that saw the slugger strike out 19 times in 40 at-bats over 19 games, the Giants optioned their top prospect (and MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 overall) to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday in a round of Spring Training cuts, dashing Eldridge’s hopes of making his first Opening Day roster.
"I wasn't happy with it,” said Eldridge regarding his spring after Monday’s 10-2 exhibition victory against Sultanes de Monterrey. “I can't be mad about any decisions that were made because I, quite honestly, wasn't good enough this spring, and that's just how it is. I’m working hard and putting my head down. I know I had to be better. I know I had to limit the strikeouts. That's all part of it -- especially for a young kid, they're not going to stick a young kid up there who's going up there and striking out.”
Manager Tony Vitello stated a need for the blue-chip prospect to work on “consistency” in a few areas -- namely, defense, baserunning, and “for him to look dangerous and comfortable at the same time.”
Through two exhibition games to close out his 2026 spring, Eldridge has certainly looked the part.
He clobbered a 444-foot home run to center field in Sunday’s exhibition game at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento -- where he’ll play many of his games to begin 2026 with the River Cats.
He followed that up on Monday with his first long ball at Oracle Park, a blast that cracked off his bat at 103.8 mph against right-hander Nick Struck of Sultanes de Monterrey.
Eldridge savored every moment of this first home run in San Francisco. No matter that neither the game nor the homer technically counted.
“Running around the bases, you know, I was trying not to smile at all, trying to be cool, but going around third, I couldn't stop myself from smiling a little bit. So that was cool, definitely good to get one out of the way in a big league park. It's not a regular-season game or big league team, but it's still, still pretty cool.”
Despite his demotion, Eldridge has his sights set on doing what he can to force the issue.
"I'm going to always stay where my feet are. I'm just excited to have an opportunity to play baseball. That's the truth. I mean, I get to play baseball, and I get to play professional baseball, and that's what I've always dreamed of doing. And at 21 years old, in my opinion, I’m in a good spot right now, regardless if I'm in Triple-A or here, so whenever they feel like it's my time, I’ll always be ready, always have that mentality. Always be ready no matter what time of year it is, whenever it is, always be ready.
"I’m just going to stay on my toes, keep going hard. It’s a goal. … Obviously, the sooner the better. I want to make an impact here, but you know, I'm not gonna put that pressure on myself to try and rush it. I've had some good talks with people recently, and the worst thing I could do right now is try and rush everything. Like I said, I'm young, I’ve got plenty of time. I want to be around this game for a long time, hopefully. So whenever my time is called, if it's in two weeks, if it's in two months, or if it's in September, you know, I'm ready to go, but I'm gonna try and win some games in Sacramento and keep getting better down there.”
At least one of his teammates on the Giants is eager to see what Eldridge can do, too.
Shortstop Willy Adames spoke of Eldridge’s ability to “impact the team in a big way. Hopefully whenever his time comes, he’s ready to come and do that for us. Whenever he gets here, we’re going to need him. Hopefully he’s ready, mentally and physically. He has the talent. We’ll just see where his mind is.
"I think this time that he’s going back to Triple-A is going to make him develop a little bit more, to grow a bit more mentally, to come to the big leagues and know that this is the big leagues. They’re going to challenge him every day, and he has to be ready.”