When Rafael Devers arrived in a surprise trade last summer, Bryce Eldridge didn’t need a big-league track record to see where this could go. The Giants’ 20-year-old slugger immediately pictured the two of them in the same lineup and said he knew the fit could be dangerous.
"As soon as we traded for him, that's all I could think about was being a battery with him," Eldridge told The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly. "I thought about it from the jump when we picked him up last year: Me and him could be really dangerous."
That idea has turned into a real problem for opposing pitchers. For the past couple of weeks, the Giants have been batting Eldridge behind Devers, and the pairing has made life miserable for anyone trying to navigate the middle of the order.
Devers, who can be maddeningly streaky, has been scorching lately. Over his last 16 games, he has reached base in almost half of his plate appearances with a .493 OBP.
The early season version of Devers looked nothing like that. In March and April, over a 31-game stretch, he hit just .207 with a .537 OPS and only two homers.
Then May arrived, Eldridge was called up on May 4, and the Giants’ offense got a needed jolt. Since then, Devers has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball, piling up historic numbers along the way.
Over his last 115 games, he ranks third in OPS at .947, second in home runs with 33, third in RBI with 81, and first in doubles with 32. He also became the first Giant since Hall of Famer Jeff Kent in 2002 to post at least 35 homers and 35 doubles.
Last week, Devers was named the National League's Player of the Week after hitting six home runs in seven games. It was his second straight season winning the award, making him the first Giant to do that since Buster Posey in 2013 and 2014.
What’s even more remarkable is that Devers has basically been an everyday fixture while so many other Giants have missed time. Yesterday was the first time since August 24 of last year that his name wasn’t in the starting lineup.
Manager Tony Vitello didn’t use him as a pinch hitter either, ending Devers’ streak of appearing in 309 consecutive games. Vitello said there was nothing physically wrong with him; the Giants simply wanted to give him a day off.
With Devers locked in, the pressure on whoever hits behind him is obvious. Eldridge has handled it well.
He is currently on an 18-game on-base streak, and before that he put together a career-best 22-game stretch from May 23 to June 17. That made him the first Giants rookie to record multiple on-base streaks of at least 17 games in the same season since Orlando Cepeda had two 17-game stretches in 1958.
Pitchers have already shown how much they’d rather avoid Devers when he’s rolling. Logan Webb put it plainly.
"Honestly right now I would walk Devers probably every at-bat," Webb said. "That guy is unbelievable right now."
The Pirates and Cardinals basically followed that script, and Eldridge made them pay. In Pittsburgh last week, he delivered the go-ahead double in extra innings after Devers was intentionally walked.
A few days later, in the same situation, Eldridge came through again with a game-tying single in the 10th inning. He said those moments only add to his confidence.
"It gives me more confidence, honestly. Rafi gives me more confidence, too," he said following his clutch hit against the Cardinals.
"They'd pitch around him, they'd throw around him, they'd intentionally walk him and he looks at me and he's pumping me up. So yeah, I love that guy."
That’s the bind for opponents: walk Devers and risk Eldridge, or challenge Devers and possibly watch the ball leave the park. With 15 games left, Devers is at 35 homers and could still reach 40 home runs and 100 RBIs. The last Giant to finish with at least 40 homers and 100 RBIs was Barry Bonds in 2004.
The long-term outlook is just as encouraging. Devers is signed through 2033, and Eldridge is under team control through after the 2032 season. That leaves the Giants with a real first-base question, though both players have been fine with how the innings have been split this year.
Devers remains the better defender in 2026, but Eldridge has shown real progress. He made a diving catch on a 102 mph liner, and his hand-eye coordination, footwork and 6-foot-7 frame have all stood out. He didn’t play first base professionally until 2024, but he has been grinding on the position all season and even before spring training.
"I've been working my tail off, so it's nice when it shows off on the field and people take note of it," he said. "I started before spring training even started; I was out in Arizona, I was working out there on the field every day."
Ron Washington has played a big role in Eldridge’s defensive growth, just as Devers has shown the rookie what a locked-in, elite slugger looks like at the plate. The styles are different, but the effect is the same: two dangerous bats that belong in the lineup.
Christian Koss summed it up.
"That's a two-headed monster there that teams have got to worry about. I'm glad they're on our team."
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