Eldridge ‘feeling sexy at the plate' as SF Giants hope for offensive boost

SAN FRANCISCO – Bryce Eldridge made his much-anticipated return to the Giants' clubhouse Monday and did so with a positive vibe that's been missing inside there for over a week, if not all season.

"I'm feeling really great. I feel like this is a great time for me to get brought up," Eldridge said three hours before batting seventh as the designated hitter against San Diego. "I'm feeling sexy at the plate right now."

Eldridge, 21, not only hit five home runs in 30 games at Triple-A Sacramento, he drew 20 walks, while also striking out 41 times in 114 at-bats (.333 batting average, .445 on-base percentage).

The 2023 first-round pick's big-league debut already came late last season, and he's reflecting fondly on that 10-game cameo (13 strikeouts and three hits in 28 at-bats).

"It's kind of a been-there-done-that type of thing. I got a couple firsts out of the way. So I kind of know what to expect," Eldridge said. "I'm just glad to be here and having gotten my feet wet already definitely gives me more confidence being here."

The last-place Giants (13-21) are looking to snap a six-game losing streak after getting swept in Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, so obviously there's hope for a spark from both Eldridge and Jesús Rodriguez, who's starting at catcher while fellow Triple-A call-up Trevor McDonald makes his season debut on the mound.

Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Eldridge's return: "He's energetic. He likes what he's walking into, I'll say that. He's a smart kid. Every day is a clean slate with this game. If you let yesterday affect today too much, you'll get what we've gotten.

"Regardless of how tonight goes, there's a flavor in the locker room and in the dugout, and he likes what he's jumping into," Vitello added. "The good thing about him, even though he's a young guy, he's not going to sit back on his heels. He'll push forward and have that edge. It's good to have him around."

Eldridge didn't break spring training with the Giants and Vitello said that's resulted in positive work back at Triple-A.

"He didn't have the best spring training but he has a ton of potential. We could have gone two ways with him," Vitello said. "We sent him to get more at-bats and he was up for the challenge. He had the exact reaction you want. He had a little bit of edge to him, like, ‘I'll show you.' But also an understanding and acceptance of, ‘Let me know what you guys need me to do to stay at this level.'

"He's an easy hang and a good dude," Vitello added. "He's only going to add to the locker room and the dugout. We want to get him as many reps as possible to be fair to his career and show what he can do."

The Giants made room on their roster by designating Jerar Encarnacion for assignment, optioning outfielder Will Brennan to Sacramento, and placing reliever Erik Miller on the 15-day injured list for a mild, lower-back strain (retroactive to May 1).

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 5:27 PM.