Last year, Bryce Aldridge was considered the future of the San Francisco Giants. Rated as the 22nd best prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, Aldridge has been hailed as one of the best first basemen in the minor leagues. He had an .836 OPS at Triple-A Sacramento and earned a call-up to the major leagues in September. So what is he doing in Triple-A to begin the 2026 season?
One reason Aldridge is doomed in Triple-A is that the Giants' roster is a mess. The Giants are essentially carrying three thirds of first basemen on the roster: Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Casey Schmidt. Because Chapman is the best defender, he is the third baseman, moving Schmidt to play first base and Devers to the DH slot. This stops Aldridge in his natural position.
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The Giants also signed Luis Erez last offseason and are asking him to play second base. Erez fits better defensively at first base, but Devers has covered first base, forcing Erez to play second base, where he is rated as one of the worst players defensively in baseball.
Then there's 28-year-old career minor leaguer Gerard Encarnación, who is listed as a probable DH on the depth chart (although he has not started a game as a DH yet this season). He is a first baseman and right fielder, also blocking Aldridge on the depth chart.
Ultimately, between Devers, Schmidt, Encarnación and Arraez, it's hard to see how Aldridge will get playing time.
Why should the Giants prioritize a better player?
However, when you look a little deeper, it's not hard to see what the Giants' answer should be. Schmidt has a career 0.4 bWAR and 88 OPS+. These are hardly numbers that scream "keep this guy in the lineup at all costs." Last year, he had a league-average 100 OPS+. Schmidt is also not a first baseman; He is a utility infielder who is being asked to play the position because the team's best first baseman (Arez) is at second, Devers is DH'ing, and Schmidt's natural position at third base is blocked by Gold Glover (Chapman).
Obviously, Aldridge didn't help himself in his ten-game MLB audition last year, when he slashed .107/.297/.179. The important thing to keep in mind, however, is that this was a ten-game audition in September, when the entire Giants offense was declining. This was not the best moment to call out a 20 year old rookie.
Aldridge is now a year older, and has nothing more to prove at the Triple-A level. If San Francisco wants league-average production it can continue to start utility men like Schmidt and Encarnación at first base. Or they could call up Aldridge, who offers a lot of upside and needs to develop at the big league level.
Playing it safe and putting Schmidt in the lineup over Aldridge isn't going to help the Giants. In the NL West, playing safe is the wrong strategy. San Francisco won't be able to overtake the Dodgers by playing it safe. Playing it safe is what kept the Giants as a .500 team four years in a row.
If Aldridge comes up and struggles, it's good to know the Giants have a guy like Schmidt who can play first base if needed. But San Francisco needs to give their top prospect a chance, and soon.
