How Giants Boss Tony Vitello Envisions Rafael Devers’ Workload at First Base

There is a plan for Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge with the San Francisco Giants this season.

San Francisco envisions the pair working as a tandem. When Devers plays first base, the Giants hope to play Eldridge, their No. 1 prospect, at designated hitter. When Devers needs a break from the field, the hope is to flip it. San Francisco wants their bats in the lineup every day.

The trick is that neither one of them is experienced at first base. Eldridge didn’t start playing the position until he got to the minor leagues. Devers didn’t start playing the position until last year. Realistically, how much can the pair play in the field.

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Recently, someone asked manager Tony Vitello to put a number on how many games Devers could play in the field in 2026. Surprisingly, the first-year manager provided a response.

Tony Vitello on Rafael Devers’ Workload at First Base

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During an interview with MLB Network, Vitello was asked if he could envision Devers play 130 games at first base this season. He was quick to answer.

“I am for sure,” Vitello said. “He surprised me yesterday. I asked him if he could dance and he said ‘No.’ Then the conversation went to another place, and we’ll save that for the locker room. But he’s got really good feet. At some point he played shortstop in his youth and then eventually moved over to third base. But he’s got really good feet and an arm that can play at third base. He’s been working his butt off with Ron Washington and I do envision him playing that amount of games there.”

A split like that means that Eldridge would basically be the everyday designated hitter, with a game in the field roughly once a week. The Giants have worked him at right field, too. But at 6-foot-7, first base is a better position for Eldridge.

San Francisco sees Devers’ power as transformative in its lineup. After the trade that brought him to the Giants from Boston in June, his numbers were sluggish to start. But those numbers picked up in August or September. He finished with a slash of .236/.347/.460 with 20 home runs and 51 RBI.

Devers ended up hitting 33 home runs, including his time in Boston. First base was a black hole in terms of power for the Giants and Devers, to some degree last season, filled it. His 20 home runs with the Giants was more than the other Giants first baseman combined.

Eldridge has potentially transformative power too. Last season in the minor leagues he slashed .260/.333/.510 with 25 home runs and 84 RBI. It was his second straight season of 20 or more home runs.

It’s easy to see why the Giants are so intent to have the pair in the lineup every day. But it sounds like Devers will get the heavy lean on games in the field this season.