Dakota Jordan Returns While Bryce Eldridge Leaves the Building (Repeatedly)

SF Giants Minor Lines, Aug. 1-3, 2025

Photo Credit: MiLB.com

And now we play ball. The trades are completed; the draft class is signed and ready. Promotions from the completed Arizona complex league have flowed in. It’s time to finish out the season. There’s anywhere from three weeks (DSL) to seven (Triple-A) left for players to prove their worth. They’re playing for future jobs, future assignments (some will get to extend their year into the Fall League, while others need to make a finishing kick to earn promotions in 2026), post-season competition, and notice. Most of all, they’re striving for what minor leaguers are always striving for: improvement.

Time is running short for all these things. The 2025 season will soon become was rather than is. As long as it lasts, when you’re on the field, you gotta play hard and prove out.

In all the words I was spilling last week over trade acquisitions, I neglected to mention the other side of that story: adding in the acquisitions AND the new draft class (who all need to be added to the domestic reserve list within 14 days of signing) necessitated releases, and there was a wave of them over the last few days. So, we need to say goodbye to several of our minor leaguers in order to make room for the new guys:

• LHP CJ Widger (acquired in last year’s minor league phase of Rule 5 draft, the funky left-hander had 7.82 ER with Eugene this year)

• 1b Guillermo Williamson (originally signed as IFA in July, 2021 and possessor of some of the biggest raw power in the org, despite his small frame)

• RHP Mat Olsen (9th rd pick in 2021 draft, made it up to Double-A, where he had a 5.32 ERA over 66 innings)

• INF Javier Francisco (signed to a five-figure IFA deal in March of 2020, he rather improbably became a figure of some renown in social media circles due to some hyperbolic statements from his former trainer, Fernando Tatis, Sr.)

• 3b Elian Rayo (a member of the 2019 IFA class, like Williamson, his big raw power couldn’t overcome a below average hit tool; likely to play for Nicaragua in upcoming WBC)

• RHP Elijah Pleasants (signed out of Independent Oakland Ballers team last year, he had a strong AFL campaign last fall, but really struggled this year, putting up 13.50 ERA over two A-ball levels)

• C Austin Barnes (the veteran, picked up just recently to help with Giants’ thin upper-level depth at catcher, was likely a victim of the acquisition of Jesús Rodriguez from the Yankees).

Also, the Giants announced yesterday, Carson Ragsdale was claimed on waivers by the Orioles. It’s been a long, slow climb for Ragsdale, who persevered through a panoply of injuries and surgeries to finally achieve 40-man status this year, but the Giants ended up losing him from the organization without ever getting a single major league appearance from him — which was obviously not the hope last fall. Ragsdale hasn’t really looked like himself this year, but Baltimore should represent a real opportunity for him to advance, and I hope he does well there.

We’re almost certainly not done with the releases just yet. By our count, the Giants are right at the 165 domestic reserve limit at this point — which means, for instance, any time a player returns from the IL, causing another player to be optioned (as happened this weekend with Christian Koss and Brett Wisely, and will likely happen again today with Jerar Encarnacion), OR when DFA’d players clear waivers and get outrighted to Sacramento (as Sean Hjelle was yesterday, a move that will likely have an offset), OR when players hit the end of rehab assignments and must be activated from the 60-day IL (as will happen in the next few weeks for Nate Furman and RJ Dabovich), OR any further signings of UDFA, will necessitate either a release or a 60-day IL move.

But back to the fields of play….we’ve got a weekend of action to get to. Dakota Jordan made his return with a bang. Bryce Eldridge keeps trotting. And a whole bunch of organizational and level debuts took place. Let’s hit the lines!

HITTER of the WEEKEND: Dakota Jordan (SJ), 9 for 14, 2 HR, 6 R, 7 RBI, 2 K
PITCHER of the WEEKEND: Jack Choate (Rich), 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Honestly, there were so many crazy good batting lines this weekend, it was hard to know where to turn. Jordan, Eldridge, Victor Bericoto, Robert Hipwell, Walker Martin, and others all had incredible weekends. You know it’s pretty fierce competition when the guy who went deep three times didn’t grab the honor. But Jordan’s return was just too spectacular to ignore, even if there might have been some …. well…. padding involved.

Hey, it’s hard to time up those slow-mo pitches — especially to the tune of 114 mph!