Fantasy Baseball: Six things to know about Bryce Eldridge's return to the majors

From what to expect to who you should drop, Scott White answers the biggest questions

Scott White

May 4, 2026

10:22 am ET

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8 min read

Those who follow along with the Prospects Report know that Bryce Eldridge has been my top choice to stash since basically the time Konnor Griffin was promoted. So shouldn't the news of him coming up Monday be met with singing choirs, luxury gift bags and celebratory bird releases?

It's not so simple. Turns out that in his rapid rise to the majors, Eldridge has become one of the more divisive prospects.

It's like his strengths moved him up the ladder faster than he could address is weaknesses. We could all share in the optimism of a 19-year-old showing massive power in A-ball, but a 21-year-old at the precipice of the majors invites more scrutiny.

So let's consider what makes Eldridge such a fascinating case for Fantasy Baseball, where I wouldn't consider him to be quite a must-add player but would consider him to be a true lottery ticket in that his best-case outcome could be what wins you your league. These six questions should immediately come to mind.

Why now?

Quite simply, he got hot. Eldridge is 14 for 28 (.500) with three home runs in his past seven games, and given that he already debuted last September and nearly won a job this spring, it always seemed like the hurdle for his return was low. Casey Schmitt's hot start may have raised it slightly, but in the end, Eldridge still controlled his own destiny. Schmitt's versatility will allow him to shift to a super utility role.

Bryce Eldridge

San Francisco

• #78

•

Age: 21

2026 Minors

AVG

.333

OPS

.963

114

What should we expect?

A lot of strikeouts, to be sure. Eldridge struck out 13 times in his 37 major league plate appearances last September, which is a 35.1 percent rate. His career strikeout rate in the minors is 27.4 percent, including 29.9 percent at Triple-A last year. It's right on the edge of the 30 percent threshold that's often make-or-break for batting average, routinely visited by players such as Nolan Gorman, Ryan McMahon and Oneil Cruz. This is the main part of Eldridge's game that detractors were hoping he'd have figured out by now, but the amount of plate coverage required for a man who stands 6-feet-7 is prohibitive. Eldridge will likely always be this way.

It doesn't have to be a deal-breaker, though. The key to overcoming a high strikeout rate is to optimize what contact is made, namely by hitting the ball exceedingly hard. Eldridge has always excelled at that, averaging 92.9 mph on batted balls at Triple-A this year, with a max of 113.1 mph, and 95.7 mph on batted balls at Triple-A last year, with a max of 114.6 mph. Those readings aren't so far off from the ones that made Aaron Judge a 52-homer player as a rookie in 2017 even though he struck out 30.7 percent of the time that year. Comparing Eldridge to Judge may seem unfair, but I only bring it up because Judge's tendency to strike out also called his viability into question at the start of his career. Baseball America barely ranked him inside its top 100 to begin that year.

Of course, possessing power and actualizing it are two different attributes, and how well Eldridge does the latter will ultimately determine how useful he is for Fantasy Baseball. Even the best-case scenario points to him being a three-true-outcomes player, though, which means the home run output will need to be significant.

How likely is he to succeed?

Actualizing power comes down to three facets: connecting with the ball, impacting the ball and angling the ball. I've already addressed the first two. The third is best expressed by pull-air rate, which is exactly what it sounds like. Most home runs are hit to the pull side -- and all are hit in the air -- so a swing with a high pull-air rate is one best attuned for home runs. It becomes less important the harder a player hits the ball, seeing as the hardest-hit balls will carry out of any part of the park, but a higher pull-air rate allows for a higher margin for error. Eldridge will be playing his home games in a park notorious for suppressing left-handed power, so he'll need to reduce error as much as possible. His pull-air rate at Triple-A last year was only 20th percentile, but this year, it's 94th percentile.

Of course, playing time has as much say in his Fantasy Baseball worth as performance does, and while to some degree, the performance will drive the playing time, I do fear there will be some limitations at first. That "at first" carries a double meaning. On CBS and most other platforms, Eldridge is eligible only at DH to start out, and while I do think he'll play some first base, I suspect it'll be less than Rafael Devers does. You'll likely need to wait a few weeks before you can start Eldridge at first base, and not every Fantasy team has the flexibility to s