SAN FRANCISCO -- Two new faces had the chance to debut for the Giants in Monday night's 5-2 win over the Twins at Oracle Park.
The Giants activated infielder Marcelo Mayer off the 10-day injured list and called up No. 8 and top outfield prospect Bo Davidson from Triple-A Sacramento ahead of the club’s series opener against the Twins at Oracle Park. Davidson started in right field and batted third in his Major League debut, while Mayer slotted in behind him at the designated hitter spot in his first action with the Giants.
To clear spots for the duo, the Giants placed first baseman Bryce Eldridge on the seven-day concussion list and outfielder Jung Hoo Lee on the 10-day IL with a groin contusion. Left-hander Philip Abner was also designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Davidson.
Lee’s injury, which he suffered after fouling a ball off a sensitive spot in the sixth inning of Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Dodger Stadium, left the Giants with no members of their Opening Day lineup on their active roster, underscoring the massive turnover the club has experienced as a result of trades and injuries this year.
Mayer and Davidson will become the 69th and 70th players to suit up for the Giants this year, extending a franchise record set earlier this year (67).
Mayer, 23, came over from the Red Sox as part of the Erik Miller deal at the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, Mayer was once regarded as one of the top infield prospects in baseball, though he struggled to unlock that potential over two injury-marred seasons in Boston, slashing .223/.278/.346 with seven home runs over 114 combined games from 2025-26.
Still, the Giants believe the left-handed hitter could benefit from a change of scenery, especially now that the Chula Vista, Calif., native is back on the West Coast.
Mayer hasn’t played in the Majors since June 25 due to a bone stress reaction in his left ulna. He appeared in four rehab games with Triple-A Sacramento last month, though he was shut down again with a bone bruise in his right foot. Still, Mayer managed to ramp up and complete a baserunning progression over the weekend at Dodger Stadium, enabling the Giants to take a look at him over the final week of the regular season.
Mayer made appearances at shortstop, second base and third base for the Red Sox, but Giants manager Tony Vitello said he expects to use his new infielder primarily at the DH spot for now.
Davidson signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent out of Caldwell Community College in North Carolina in 2023. The 24-year-old outfielder enjoyed an improbable rise over the last few years, emerging as the Giants’ No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline. A left-handed hitter, Davidson batted .290 with an .888 OPS and 29 home runs in 125 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento this year.
“I’m just taking it all in, staying poised,” Davidson said. “Just being where my feet are. I really can’t do nothing else. I’m just enjoying it.”
Davidson appeared on the verge of a callup after earning Pacific Coast League Player of the Month honors following his red-hot August with the River Cats, though those plans were briefly put on hold after he fouled a ball off his foot on Sept. 9. Davidson ended up missing a week, though he continued to mash when he returned to action for Sacramento, going 7-for-18 (.389) with one home run over his last five games.
Vitello said Davidson had “arguably the most impressive BP out of everybody” during Spring Training, which helped build anticipation for his debut on Monday.
“We knew it would happen at some point,” Vitello said. “When he fouled the ball off his foot, it was kind of a buzzkill because you knew he was going to come up at some point. That probably delayed it a little bit.”
The 6-foot-7 Eldridge was placed in concussion protocol after bumping his head on a low archway at the team hotel in Los Angeles over the weekend. He isn’t expected to play again this season, cutting short his promising rookie campaign for the Giants.
Eldridge, 21, batted .269 with an .825 OPS and 17 home runs over 107 games, though Vitello said he was most encouraged by the 21-year-old slugger’s improved defense at first base this year.
“If you could highlight one thing, the defense, I think, is what surprised us,” Vitello said. “I'm a fan, too. The easy way to look at him is, ‘All right, we called him up, let's see some home runs.’ He hit more than his fair share, and some of them were pretty dramatic and important. But he did a lot of other little small things.”