Why A’s arrangement will delay Bryce Eldridge’s Sacramento debut
San Francisco Giants fans were rightfully excited about the news this week of Bryce Eldridge s promotion to Triple-A elevating the club s towering power-hitting first base prospect within one step of the big leagues and driving distance for majority diehards Those hoping to get their first glimpse of the Giants top prospect in their backyard will have to wait a side effect of the Sacramento River Cats arrangement to share Sutter Fitness Park with the major-league Athletics before their move to Las Vegas Eldridge joined the River Cats on the road and is already off to a hot start reaching base three times in his first battle and launching a grand slam the following night He would be set to make his home season debut this Tuesday except the series was moved before the season at MLB s request After careful consideration Major League Baseball requested that the series be relocated to ensure the best accomplishable natural grass playing surface conditions while hosting both the Athletics and River Cats at Sutter Robustness Park for the and future seasons according to a press release in January Rated the No prospect in baseball by MLB com Eldridge was promoted on Wednesday after batting with seven home runs and an OPS in games for Double-A Richmond but he won t play his first home challenge until June The River Cats would have come home following their series in Sugar Land Texas but instead will journey to Tacoma Washington and then to Salt Lake City before their next encounter at Sutter Robustness Park The teams are in the first of three seasons they plan to share the -year-old -seat stadium The park has been the unique home of the River Cats since it opened on the west bank of the Sacramento River in but the A s left Oakland after last season and are calling the Triple-A ballpark their temporary home until when they plan to move to Las Vegas Related Articles Kurtenbach Buster Posey successfully navigated SF Giants through his first real situation in the the bulk ironic way Robbie Ray builds on strong May leads SF Giants to series split vs Padres SF Giants respond to roster shakeup with comeback win over Padres SF Giants designate Wade add veteran first baseman Smith in flurry of moves Doval records rare blown save as SF Giants fall to Padres in innings While the River Cats may reap selected of the rewards of the modifications made to bring the facilities up to major-league standards their shared tenancy has already had selected hiccups particularly for their big-league subtenants The A s are - away from home but only - in West Sacramento a worse home record than any squad but the Rockies while their manager and marquee free agent signing have complained about the inconvenient location of the makeshift clubhouse behind the outfield walls and the limited sightlines from their dugout It has at least been a novel experience for fans who get to see major-league baseball in an intimate habitat though the A s have drawn more than only four times their home opener and three dates with the Yankees Now Giants fans will be able to get an up-close look at Eldridge whose -foot- frame should only stand out more in a setting much smaller than Oracle Park Well soon
