San Francisco Giants general manager Zack Minasian offered insight into the club’s evolving plans at first base during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, indicating that Rafael Devers is increasingly likely to see more time at the position heading into the 2026 season. Minasian also addressed the development of top prospect Bryce Eldridge, emphasizing patience and steady improvement for both players.
Minasian made it clear that the Giants are encouraged by how quickly Devers has adapted defensively. While the move to first base was relatively recent, Devers showed meaningful progress over a concentrated stretch last season once he was able to get healthy.
“I would say, right now, Rafi is a better defender at first base,” Minasian said. “He really improved over his time last year working there over probably a legitimate two-month span.”
According to Minasian, Devers initially had to play through some physical issues that slowed his transition, but once those ailments subsided, the defensive growth became evident. The Giants now believe Devers has the tools to be more than just serviceable at the position.
“I think we’re looking at someone that’s potentially an above-average to plus defensive first baseman,” Minasian said. “We were really happy with how he transitioned there.”
While Devers appears to be establishing himself as a reliable option at first, Minasian also took time to highlight Eldridge’s ongoing development. The highly touted prospect is still early in his professional career and is learning the position from the ground up.
“Bryce is still someone with only about 1,000 career minor league plate appearances,” Minasian noted. “He didn’t play first base in high school. This is really, really new to him.”
Despite the steep learning curve, Eldridge has earned praise for his work ethic and commitment to improvement. Minasian pointed to Eldridge’s daily routine at Triple-A, where he consistently arrives early to put in extra defensive work.
“I give Bryce a lot of credit,” Minasian said. “He’s a tremendous worker—out there every day, working early—and he actually played really well at first base in his short big league time.”
Minasian stressed that the organization remains confident Eldridge will continue to grow with more experience, much like Devers has.
“He’s improving, he’s going to continue to improve,” Minasian said. “And I’d say the same thing for Rafi.”
For now, however, the Giants feel particularly comfortable with Devers anchoring first base as they look ahead to 2026.
“We feel really good about Rafi there right now,” Minasian said.
Ultimately, Minasian’s comments painted a picture of cautious optimism across the board. The Giants feel particularly strong about Devers’ defensive outlook at first base as they look toward 2026, while recognizing that Eldridge’s ceiling remains high despite his relative inexperience.
Both players, Minasian emphasized, are continuing to improve, but for now, the organization feels especially confident in what Devers brings to the position as the Giants shape their future infield plans.
