SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Bryce Eldridge's bid for a spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster is over.
The club optioned its No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 overall to Triple-A Sacramento as part of the latest round of Spring Training cuts on Thursday. Outfielder Grant McCray and infielder Tyler Fitzgerald were also optioned, leaving 42 players in big league camp.
Eldridge, 21, made his Major League debut last September, but the Giants never committed to carrying him on their 26-man roster to start the 2026 season. San Francisco already has Rafael Devers projected to serve as its primary first baseman this year, so the club can afford to be patient with Eldridge, who has the highest offensive ceiling in the organization but still has room to improve in all aspects of his game.
“I think everybody wanted to see the defense improve,” manager Tony Vitello said on Thursday. “We could talk for 30 minutes about different parts of that. The bottom line is, it’s definitely improved. Maybe a little bit of frustration for me with him, or any other player, is baserunning reps are hard to come by when you’re splitting up a game.
“I think Bryce just needs reps, and that includes baserunning. And then lastly, at the plate, I think for him overall to look dangerous and comfortable at the same time is something we’re all analyzing from over here probably even more so than the result. I think he has found that at times. I think it’s a matter of it being consistent. Part of that, again, just kind of comes from reps.”
COMPLETE GIANTS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The left-handed-hitting Eldridge showed flashes of his massive raw power during Cactus League play, but he ended up batting only .225 with an .830 OPS, one home run and four doubles over 19 games. He also struck out 19 times in 50 plate appearances, an issue he also struggled with at Triple-A, where he posted a 30.7% strikeout rate over 66 games in 2025.
With Eldridge no longer in the Opening Day mix, the Giants could give Jerar Encarnacion an extended look at designated hitter to start the season. Encarnacion and fellow outfielder Luis Matos are out of options, so Eldridge’s demotion could boost their chances of earning bench spots this spring.
Fitzgerald and McCray were also vying for reserve roles, but like Eldridge, they’re now set to open the season at Sacramento. Casey Schmitt and Christian Koss are already projected to serve as backup infielders, so the Giants didn’t have a spot for Fitzgerald. McCray was a candidate for the fourth or fifth outfield spot, but he was squeezed out of the competition by others like Encarnacion, Matos, Will Brennan and non-roster invitees Jared Oliva and Victor Bericoto.
While Eldridge won’t start the year in the Majors, the Giants still believe the 6-foot-7 slugger will be a big piece of their future moving forward.
“I think the most encouraging sign is the feedback I get from the staff about his work ethic,” vice president of player development Randy Winn said. “We don’t talk about that a lot. His work ethic last year was tremendous in the Minors. To see him with all the accolades that he’s gotten and his status as a top prospect, that hasn’t changed. I’ve heard [infield coach] Ron Washington talk about it, [bench coach] Jayce Tingler talk about it. He’s put in a lot of hard work.
“I’ve heard about how much he’s improved defensively. I think that’s huge. Bryce wants to be good and is taking to heart all the suggestions about working on the defensive side. I think the offense is the offense. We all know what he’s capable of doing. He didn’t have a great spring in terms of offense this year, but he continues to work his tail off to become the best player he can be.”