The Giants are heading back to Oracle Park in search of anything that resembles momentum, but they’ll have to do it without one of their most productive bats.
San Francisco has dropped four straight and just got swept by the Boston Red Sox, leaving the club back home for a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. The Giants still haven’t won a series since taking two of three from the Milwaukee Brewers between July 27 and 29, and the focus now is simply on getting back in the win column.
That push will come with a notable absence in the middle of the lineup. According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin, rookie first baseman Bryce Eldridge will not be available for the series against Cincinnati. Eldridge is traveling to Virginia for his grandfather’s funeral and will be placed on the bereavement list before the opener.
Under Major League Baseball rules, bereavement leave runs at least three days and no more than seven. His exact return date isn’t known, though he is expected to be back for the four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks that follows the Reds series.
Eldridge has been one of the few real bright spots for San Francisco this season. He’s hitting .252 with 14 home runs and 35 RBIs, and he stayed hot in Boston with four hits over the weekend. Two of those came in the finale, extending his hitting streak to four games after he had also picked up a hit against the Cleveland Guardians in that series finale.
That streak won’t officially be broken until he returns and takes another at-bat.
For now, the Giants will have to sort out first base without him. Rafael Devers is the likely option there for this series, though Buddy Kennedy could also get time at the position.
And it’s not just Eldridge who has San Francisco dealing with uncertainty. Both Willy Adames and Victor Bericoto were taken out of the series finale against Boston because of injuries, adding to the list of bodies the Giants may have to navigate through during a seven-game homestand.
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