Five ways Giants can make most of current situation in season's final stretch originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — At 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Giants manager Bob Melvin was asked if it might be time to start playing some younger guys over veterans who might not be part of the 2026 mix.
“Not yet,” Melvin said.
He admitted that every day that went by changed the math a little, but added that hopefully the final game against the San Diego Padres would be the one where the Giants would “break out of it.”
At 3:30 p.m., the messaging had changed a bit.
“We might be at the point here pretty soon where we give some guys some days off and look at some other guys,” he said after the blowout. “I still hate to admit that we’re at that point.”
In the hours between Melvin’s media sessions, his team lost 11-1 and played some of the ugliest baseball of the season. Losers of 13 of their last 14 home games, the Giants are three games under .500 and five out of the final NL playoff spot.
The New York Mets, who seemingly take a gut punch every night, are single-handedly keeping the Giants alive, although their postseason odds have dipped to 3.5 percent, per FanGraphs. Managers in this situation like to say that their team is one good week away from being back in it, and that’s fair, but right now it’s hard to see how the Giants might put that week together over the final quarter of the season.
They still have 41 games to play, though, and there are things they can accomplish other than trying to get back above .500. Here are five ways they can make the most of this finishing stretch, one that, as Melvin hinted, might include a lot of new faces:
Bryce watch
The biggest question this August and September will be whether the Giants let top prospect Bryce Eldridge get used to life in the big leagues. There are key decision-makers in the front office who would prefer to see him continue to learn in Triple-A and sharpen his skills at first base, but there has been increased talk internally in recent weeks about the possibility of calling him up.
Eldridge still has some holes in his game — that’s the case with any 20-year-old — but even Giants people who believe he could benefit from finishing the Triple-A season rave about his makeup and work ethic. He has done nothing but impress, and even if the strikeouts might be high — he’s at 33 percent in Triple-A — there’s little doubt within the organization that the power would immediately translate.
A few Eldridge homers in September would go a long way in terms of energizing the fan base, and if the Giants believe Eldridge is going to be on the 2026 Opening Day roster regardless, they might benefit from getting any initial hoopla and jitters out of the way now.
Ultimately, this is up to president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, who has a unique perspective. He was a superstar prospect himself, and he didn’t feel he benefited much from his September cameo in 2009. He poured cold water on Eldridge rumors after the deadline, but that’s getting harder and harder to do.
Figure out who they are
The Giants discussed a Marco Luciano promotion when they needed a right-handed-hitting outfielder on Tuesday but instead went with Tyler Fitzgerald. Luciano’s defense in Triple-A has continued to be an issue, and it’s entirely possible the Giants have just decided that ship has sailed. Luciano, now an outfielder, hasn’t played a single game in the big leagues this season.
He is part of a group that debuted under Farhan Zaidi but never stuck, joining Luis Matos and Wade Meckler, in particular. They’re all running out of options and taking up 40-man spots, and the Giants need to make some final evaluations. This is a good time to do that.
Grant McCray is further behind in terms of minor league options, but he’s also part of that class that has plenty of experience at Triple-A at this point. With Casey Schmitt’s emergence, Fitzgerald’s future looks like it’ll come in a utility role, and if that’s the case, he should get more experience in the outfield.
Schmitt is the one member of that 2023-24 group of call-ups that looks locked in. He had four hits when he was moved up to the No. 2 spot against a lefty on Tuesday, and he has earned the right to continue hitting in front of some of the veterans in the lineup.
The newcomers
Blade Tidwell has 16 strikeouts through two Triple-A starts. The right-hander, acquired in the Tyler Rogers trade, should probably be the one to get the call the next time a rotation spot is needed.
The Giants already are taking a look at Drew Gilbert, who has started all but one game since being called up from Triple-A. Gilbert is 1-for-17 but looks comfortable in right field, and he can play center, too.
Jesus Rodriguez, acquired in the Camilo Doval trade, has been limited to DH duty because of shoulder soreness, but if he’s capable of catching later this season, he should join Patrick Bailey at the big league level. The 23-year-old is a .307 career hitter in the minors and, as a right-handed hitter, is an obvious partner for Bailey next spring.
Protect the arms
It’s impossible to be positive right now, but the 2026 Giants actually will have a nice head start in their bid to get to the postseason.
Logan Webb is still in his prime and All-Star Robbie Ray is under team control for one more season. Landen Roupp was better than anyone on the staff in the weeks before he got hurt, and if he goes into next spring healthy, that’s a strong top three.
But there are reasons for the Giants to be careful with all three over the next six weeks.
Webb has earned the right to choose his own adventure, and he has made it clear he would like to reach 200 strikeouts — he’s 32 away — for the first time. If he wants to lead the league in innings for a third straight season, it shouldn’t be hard to win the race. There’s no reason, though, for the Giants to keep pushing him quite this hard. He has thrown 317 pitches over his last three starts.
Ray threw 113 pitches — his most since Tommy John surgery — on Tuesday but felt strong at the end. Afterward, Melvin admitted that the recent workloads have been in part because the Giants are desperate to win behind their aces and in part because their bullpen lost two key arms at the deadline.
But what’s done is done.
It’s time to save some of the co-aces’ bullets and also be careful with Roupp, who has doubled his 2024 big league workload. He will return to the rotation Friday and there are no longer concerns about where his innings total will end up since he missed a few starts and got a chance to rest, but the Giants need to make sure he’s in a good spot heading into 2026. The same is true for relievers Randy Rodriguez and Erik Miller, who should play huge roles next year.
Find a way to entertain
The Giants have looked lifeless on this homestand, and that’s perhaps the most disappointing aspect. They drew 180,000 fans over the five-game losing streak and those who continue to fill the ballpark are absolutely desperate for reasons to stand and cheer. They gave Justin Verlander a nice ovation when he reached 3,500 strikeouts on Sunday and did the same for Gilbert’s first hit on Monday.
The offense has been horrible, but there are ways to at least try to manufacture some more excitement. For example, would it kill the Giants to at least attempt to run a little bit more?
They’re last in the National League in stolen bases, and when pushed about it, Melvin points out that they don’t get many baserunners most nights and don’t want to kill those rare potential rallies. But the numbers tell a different story.
They haven’t been caught trying to steal since June 25, but over the 41 games since, they have just nine attempts. Nine! And they’re nine-for-nine! Sure, they’re not reaching base at the desired clip, but they still have 216 singles and 122 walks over those 41 games. There have been plenty of opportunities to take off.
They should consider this another way to get a head start on 2026. At some point, a team that plays 81 games a year at Oracle Park needs to actually commit to playing a more athletic brand of baseball.
