Bryce Eldridge didn’t stay a question for long.
When the Giants opened the year by sending the 21-year-old slugger to Sacramento, plenty of fans argued both sides of the decision. Some wanted more at-bats in Triple-A.
Others believed he was ready right then. Eldridge’s spring didn’t settle much of anything, either: he hit .225 with an .830 OPS in 19 Cactus League games, but the bigger concern was the strikeout rate, which sat at 38% over 50 plate appearances while he was still feeling the effects of offseason wrist surgery.
That debate evaporated quickly once the regular season got rolling.
Eldridge wasted little time forcing his way back to San Francisco, hitting .333 with a .963 OPS and five homers in his first 30 games for Sacramento. The Giants were also coming off a brutal 0-6 road trip in which they scored just nine runs, and the offense badly needed a spark. On May 4, the club made the move everyone was waiting for.
His first big-league game of the season came later that day, a 3-2 win over San Diego in which he went 0-for-2 with a walk. The first real jolt arrived five days later against the Pirates, when Eldridge launched his first home run of the year. The moment that truly announced him, though, came in June against Washington.
The Giants had turned a 9-1 deficit into a three-run game in the ninth when Eldridge came up with the bases loaded. On the third pitch, an 80-mph curveball inside, he lifted a grand slam into the right-field arcade. At 21 years and 233 days, he became the youngest player in MLB history to walk it off for his team with a grand slam, and the first Giants rookie ever to do it.
That swing powered a hot June, but Eldridge still had to answer for the usual rookie growing pains. July was his roughest stretch, as he batted .207 with a .720 OPS.
Even so, he still gave the Giants a memory that month: his first Splash Hit, and the team’s first of 2026, came in an early-July win over the Rockies. The slump never became a story that stuck to him for long.
August ended up being his best month. He hit .297, drove in 17 runs, and cut his strikeout rate to 24.8%, nearly 10 points lower than the 34.6% mark he posted in July.
He carried that momentum into September before an odd injury slammed the brakes on his season. While on a road trip to Los Angeles, Eldridge hit his head on a low archway at the team hotel.
Three days later, the Giants put him on the seven-day concussion injured list and shut him down for the rest of the year.
By the time his first real run in the majors was over, the line looked strong: 107 games, a .269 batting average, .461 slugging percentage, .825 OPS, 23 doubles, 17 home runs, and 57 RBIs.
There’s still work to do. His 26.6% strikeout rate needs trimming, even if his contact skills improved and his .364 on-base percentage reflected a strong 13.2% walk rate. But the bat showed exactly why the Giants were so eager to clear a lane for him.
The power was the headline. Eldridge posted a 92.7-mph average exit velocity, which ranked in the 95th percentile, and his 52.2% hard-hit rate placed 13th in MLB according to Baseball Savant.
He also produced against both sides of the mound, and in a twist, he was actually better versus left-handers. Against southpaws, he hit .294 with an .878 OPS, compared with .258 and .799 against right-handers.
The split should be viewed with caution, though, since he had 305 plate appearances against righties and only 143 against lefties.
His glove at first base also took a step forward. Eldridge played 41 games there, rotating with Rafael Devers, made one error, and finished at zero Outs Above Average. For a 6-foot-7 first baseman, that kind of presence made life easier around the infield.
Unlike a lot of his teammates, Eldridge already knows where he’ll start next season. There won’t be any talk about Triple-A or seasoning. He’s here now, and the Giants have seen enough to know it.
In Other News...
Giants Linked To An Outfielder Who Checks Nearly Every Box
Steven Kwan is heading into the final season of his contract with the Guardians, and that always puts a player on the radar for teams that like to get out ahead of free agency. Cleveland has a history of moving players before they reach the open market to recoup value, and Kwan fits the profile of someone who could draw real interest. For the Giants, the appeal is easy to understand: he brings speed, contact skill and strong defense, the kind of well-rounded outfielder who can help in more than one way.
The local angle only adds to the intrigue. Kwan has Bay Area ties, and San Francisco has not shied away from bringing in players with a connection to home, especially when the fit on the field is there too. Any actual deal would have to make sense financially and on the roster-building side, but the idea of Kwan in orange and black has enough logic behind it to keep the conversation going, even if nothing is close just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Have A World Series Tie Most Fans Probably Missed
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The thread gets even more interesting through the draft. Doug Waechter, a former big leaguer and now a Rays broadcaster, is the father of Kaden Waechter, whom the Giants grabbed in the second round of the 2026 draft. Kaden Waechter signed with San Francisco after taking a $3.2 million bonus to pass on his college commitment, giving the Giants a fresh prospect with a family link to one of their potential World Series opponents. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Offseason Pitching Plan Comes Down To One Crucial Choice
The Giants are heading into a compressed offseason with one of the sharper reminders that time may be short once the market opens. With the next labor deal set to expire and a lockout looming, front offices across the league could be forced to move quickly, and for San Francisco that means sorting through a pitching plan that is likely to be shaped more by practicality than wishful thinking.
Tarik Skubal would be the dream, but the cost would be enormous, and Kevin Gausman stands out as a far more realistic target if the Giants decide to chase a familiar arm. Adrian Morejon, meanwhile, looks like the kind of expensive bullpen bet that does not line up especially well with the clubs needs, which is why the safer path appears to be a search for more affordable, sensible relief help instead of one big splash. [Read more 🡒]