Sore wrist keeps top prospect Eldridge out of Spring Breakout

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants were without their No. 1 prospect for Saturday night¡¯s Spring Breakout matchup against the Rangers.

The club announced that first baseman Bryce Eldridge was scratched from the prospect showcase due to left wrist soreness, an injury that has sidelined him for the last two weeks. While he was unavailable to take the field, Eldridge still came over to Scottsdale Stadium to cheer on a team of Giants prospects that included left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, outfielder James Tibbs III and shortstop Jhonny Level.

¡°I know I¡¯m going to sit in the dugout, but I like supporting my boys,¡± Eldridge said before the Giants¡¯ 5-5 Spring Breakout tie at Scottsdale Stadium. ¡°These are all my guys. I¡¯ve been through it all with them in the Minor Leagues, so it¡¯s cool to watch them on this stage. Obviously, it sucks not being out there, but we¡¯ve got bigger things coming, so I¡¯m just trying to put my head down and focus on getting healthy and get back out there.¡±

Eldridge said he tweaked his wrist while taking a warmup swing and was shut down from all baseball activities when the discomfort persisted. An MRI exam came back clean, and Eldridge said he managed to resume hitting off a tee on Saturday.

¡°They¡¯ve just been taking it easy with me,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get my strength back up. I¡¯m feeling good, though. I swung for the first time [since] it happened off a tee today and felt great. It¡¯s going in the right direction.¡±

Eldridge said he hopes to return to game action by the end of next week, though he¡¯s unsure if he¡¯ll have enough time to ramp back up and be ready for the start of the Minor League season.

¡°I have to be swinging, feeling good,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll hopefully start playing next week. I¡¯m not sure how that buildup will be going into the season, but whatever they¡¯ve got planned for me, I¡¯m going to listen to them and go from there.¡±

¡°I think they¡¯re being pretty careful with him,¡± manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°He wanted to play in that game today, I¡¯m sure, but we¡¯re not taking any chances with him.¡±

Eldridge, 20, went 2-for-11 with one home run and eight strikeouts over eight Cactus League games before he was reassigned to Minor League camp last month, but the Giants remain high on his bat, which helped carry him all the way from Single-A San Jose to Triple-A Sacramento last season.

Eldridge is still focusing on getting his defense up to speed at first base, but he feels he took some significant steps forward after working with guest instructor J.T. Snow, third-base coach Matt Williams and coach emeritus Ron Wotus during his brief stint in big league camp this year.

¡°I feel like I made some serious strides with them,¡± Eldridge said. ¡°It was cool getting to work with him. Their baseball minds are off the charts. Just having them around, I learned a lot about what I need to put in my routine to become a good first baseman. I think that¡¯s the biggest part. Getting into a routine where you feel like you get ready for the game and staying consistent with that will hopefully help me stay more consistent on the field in the game.¡±

Worth noting

? Whisenhunt, the Giants¡¯ No. 2 prospect, gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits over three innings against the Rangers on Saturday. The 24-year-old struck out four and walked two while inducing plenty of whiffs with his signature changeup.

¡°It was cool,¡± Whisenhunt said of his first Spring Breakout experience. ¡°Most of the guys I know. I haven¡¯t played with many of them, but getting out here and competing and then playing against a different team -- early on, you kind of get a different feel, but it was really good.¡±

? Rangers pitching prospects Winston Santos and Josh Stephan combined to retire the first 11 batters they faced before second baseman Diego Velasquez broke up the perfect-game bid with a two-out bunt single in the bottom of the fourth inning.

? The Giants got on the board two innings later, when left fielder Lisbel D¨ªaz drew a leadoff walk and scored on an RBI double by catcher Adri¨¢n Sugastey. Tibbs added an RBI single to cut Texas¡¯ lead to 5-2 before the Giants rallied for three more runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Velasquez kicked off the big inning with a bases-loaded single before third baseman Sabin Ceballos tied the game with a two-run double that sailed over the head of center fielder Paulino Santana.

¡°He¡¯s such a great player,¡± Eldridge said of Ceballos. ¡°He¡¯s just got that swag and that confidence. You can tell he knows he belongs.¡±