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SAN FRANCISCO — One of the top hitting prospects in baseball joined the league’s worst offense Monday when the Giants called up 21-year-old first baseman Bryce Eldridge.
“He likes what he’s walking into,” Tony Vitello, manager of the 13-21 squad, said. “I’ll say that.”
The Giants rank last in the league in runs scored. They plated nine over the course of their most recent road trip while losing all six games. They rank last in walks and home runs, too.
This is no soft landing: They’re counting on the 6-foot-7 slugger to help turn things around.
In that case, some good news:
“I’m feeling sexy at the plate right now,” Eldridge said with a grin to a horde of more than a dozen reporters and cameras in front of his locker, where a No. 8 jersey hung.
Eldridge has been tearing the cover off the ball since the Giants optioned him to Triple-A in the final week of spring training, as has his more contact-oriented teammate, utility man Jesus Rodriguez.
Both players were added to the roster and in the lineup for the start of their home stand against the Padres on Monday. Trevor McDonald was also recalled to make a spot start.
In corresponding moves, Jerar Encarnacion, who is out of options, was designated for assignment, Will Brennan, another seldom-used outfielder, was optioned to Triple-A, and left-hander Erik Miller was placed on the injured list.
Miller, arguably the club’s top reliever, isn’t expected to miss more than the minimum 15 days, Vitello said. The same lower back issue that sidelined him in spring training flared up again, he said.
Rodriguez, who also plays second base and left field, was behind the plate at catcher for his major-league debut. Acquired from the Yankees last summer for Camilo Doval, Rodriguez has hit above .300 in all six previous minor-league seasons and is batting .330 with an .840 OPS in 24 games this year.
“That guy puts the bat on the ball a lot,” Eldridge said. “I love hitting behind him.”
Rodriguez has more walks (12) than strikeouts (11) this season, and while Eldridge is still striking out more than the Giants would like (29.9% in 137 plate appearances at Triple-A), he has also upped his walk rate (a career-high 15.3%). The Giants’ 69 walks in 34 games are 18 fewer than the next-closest team. They’re on pace to draw their fewest bases on balls in more than a century.
The patience has been a product of a concerted approach, Eldridge said. He was batting .333 with an on-base percentage of .445 and a .963 OPS at Triple-A. As a team, the Giants’ .287 on-base percentage is tied with the Mets for the worst in the majors.
“I think a big thing for me was taking my walks,” Eldridge said. “Getting on base is huge for me. Being a power guy, starting to realize guys are trying to pitch around me more than attacking me, at that level at least. … Being a power guy, there’s going to be strikeouts involved and whatnot. You can say all you want about that, but if I’m getting on base and I’m walking, I think it all evens out.”
The group Eldridge joined was also seeking its first home run in more than a week, stuck at 19 for the season since last Sunday — still the last team below 20. Their two top sluggers, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, have been stuck in season-long slumps, leaving San Francisco searching for any kind of thump it can get.
Their most productive hitter has been Casey Schmitt, leaving Vitello with decisions to make regarding how to juggle the combination of Schmitt, Eldridge, Adames, Devers and third baseman Matt Chapman.
Chapman got the night off Monday, with Schmitt at third and Eldridge at DH. Vitello didn’t rule out the possibility of using Schmitt in the outfield, a spot he’s never played in the big leagues.
While Vitello didn’t want to commit to Eldridge as an “everyday” player, he said he wanted to make sure Eldridge and Rodriguez both got a “fair shot” with more than “sporadic” opportunities.
“He’s gotta be given room for error,” Vitello said. “There’s gotta be a longer leash.”
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