Jesus Rodriguez Debuts as Giants Promote Two Prospects
jesus rodriguez made his major-league debut at catcher on Monday after the San Francisco Giants promoted him and Bryce Eldridge. The move gave a 13-21 club a new catching option while adding another player who can move around the diamond.
Giants turn to Rodriguez
Rodriguez started behind the plate in his first game in the majors, giving the Giants an immediate look at a player who had been pushing in Triple-A. He arrived with a.330 batting average and a.400 on-base percentage, along with 12 walks and 11 strikeouts.
Buster Posey said before Monday’s homestand opener against the San Diego Padres that the hope was to get a lift from the two promotions. “We’re going to need our big three guys to lead us out of this funk and produce the way that we know that they can produce,” Posey said. “And hopefully, Bryce and Jesus can come up here and understand that, my opinion, for them to be successful, just go out and continue to play like they’ve been playing in Triple A.”
Roster changes around the debut
The Giants cleared room by designating outfielder Jerar Encarnacion for assignment, placing left-hander Erik Miller on the 15-day injured list with a lower back strain and returning outfielder Will Brennan to Triple-A Sacramento. Those moves left the bench without a full-time backup outfielder for Heliot Ramos, Drew Gilbert and Jung Hoo Lee.
Rodriguez’s value for the Giants goes beyond one position. He can also play second base and the outfield, which gives the club another option as it tries to change the shape of a lineup that had been the least productive in the majors.
Bryce Eldridge joins the push
Eldridge’s promotion came with stronger Triple-A production of his own. He was hitting.333 with a.445 on-base percentage and six home runs, giving the Giants two fresh bats at once after a winless six-game trip to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay helped expose how much continuity had become a problem.
For San Francisco, Monday was not just about a debut. It was a roster reset built around two prospects, one new catcher in Rodriguez, and a club that needed a cleaner answer than the lineup it had been running out in a 13-21 start.
