Bryce Eldridge belongs on fantasy baseball watchlists after The Athletic’s Andy Behrens highlighted the recently promoted San Francisco Giants prospect in a May 4 takeaways column. The same piece also pointed fantasy managers toward Jack Perkins and potential bullpen value. Treat it as useful signal, not breaking news: this is a single-source fantasy advice item, narrow in scope and mostly actionable for managers in deeper formats.
The framing matters. Behrens’ column, published by The Athletic on May 4, 2026, was not presented as a major MLB transaction story or a sweeping Giants roster development. It was a fantasy baseball takeaways piece, built around where managers should look next.
The headline put Eldridge’s arrival first, then tied in “closing time” for Perkins and other fantasy angles. That tells readers exactly what this is: a practical column for roster decisions, not a definitive declaration that either player has become a universal must-add. Eldridge is the cleaner watchlist name because the source identifies him as a recently promoted top prospect and says the Giants need to find regular at-bats for him.
That is the relevant fantasy hook. Regular playing time drives opportunity, and opportunity drives counting stats. But the available sourcing here does not establish a locked-in role, a permanent lineup spot, or a specific batting-order assignment.
Fantasy managers should not inflate a column recommendation into a hard guarantee. The takeaway is simpler: Eldridge’s promotion creates enough upside to monitor closely, especially in leagues where prospect speculation has value. There is also a timing element.
Prospect pickups rarely wait for a perfect runway. In competitive fantasy leagues, managers often decide before the depth chart fully settles, because the market price jumps once a young hitter starts every day or flashes immediate production. That does not mean every promotion demands an instant add.
It means Eldridge sits in the part of the player pool where context matters: bench size, waiver rules, category needs, keeper value, and tolerance for short-term volatility. The Athletic’s Andy Behrens also put Jack Perkins into the conversation through a bullpen lens. The draft headline references “closing time,” which signals possible fantasy interest tied to saves or late-inning work.
That is important because bullpen roles can change quickly and often matter more in fantasy than in general MLB news coverage. Still, the source material provided here does not confirm a permanent closer title, a formal team announcement, or a stable hierarchy. Perkins is a name to track for managers chasing saves, not a settled fantasy answer based on this source alone.
Bullpen speculation requires even more restraint than prospect speculation. A hitter can earn value through steady at-bats even before his role becomes glamorous. A reliever’s fantasy value can swing on one manager decision, one save chance, one blown lead, or one matchup-driven inning.
Behrens raising Perkins in a late-inning context gives managers a reason to look. It does not settle the pecking order. The practical move is to track when Perkins enters games, whether those appearances come with leads, and whether the usage repeats.
This is also why the news value stays modest. A fantasy takeaways column can be helpful without being broadly newsworthy. It helps managers decide whether to check waiver wires, hold a bench spot, or add a prospect in deeper leagues.
It does not, by itself, change the MLB landscape. There is no conflict among sources because only The Athletic is available in this cluster. With one source, the responsible read is restrained: cite the column, explain the fantasy relevance, and avoid building a bigger story than the reporting supports.
The distinction is not academic. Fantasy advice often travels faster than the underlying role information, especially when a recognizable prospect or a possible saves candidate appears in a national column. Readers should separate three things: what The Athletic reported or advised, what the Giants have actually shown through usage, and what fantasy managers might reasonably project.
Those categories overlap, but they are not the same. The current evidence supports interest, not certainty. - This cluster has one source, so the item should be treated as advisory fantasy analysis rather than confirmed broad MLB news.
For fantasy managers, the implications are practical and limited. Eldridge is the higher-upside monitoring play because prospect promotions can move fast once playing time opens. Perkins matters for managers who need saves or speculative bullpen volume.
The right response depends on league depth. In shallow leagues, both can remain watchlist names until usage becomes clearer. In deeper leagues, dynasty formats, NL-only leagues, and aggressive waiver environments, waiting for perfect confirmation can mean missing the window.
The larger lesson is discipline. Fantasy managers do not need to dismiss a single-column recommendation just because it is not a hard-news report. They also do not need to treat it like a completed role change.
The smart middle is to price the information correctly. Eldridge gets attention because talent plus possible at-bats can become valuable quickly. Perkins gets attention because saves are scarce and bullpen roles can shift without much warning.
Both cases call for alertness, not overstatement. What's next: Watch how the Giants deploy Eldridge over the next several games and whether he receives regular at-bats. For Perkins, track actual inning usage, save chances, and whether his role matches the late-inning fantasy interest raised by The Athletic.
Until there is firmer reporting or clear team usage, this remains a fantasy baseball note with advisory value rather than a major development. Read at The Athletic
Why this matters
This matters because fantasy baseball managers often win small edges before roles become obvious. Eldridge’s promotion gives prospect-focused managers a reason to watch San Francisco’s lineup decisions, while Perkins could matter if his bullpen usage points toward save chances. But the item should stay in proportion. The Athletic’s column is useful advice from Andy Behrens, not a multi-source confirmation of permanent roles. The value is tactical: monitor, compare league depth, and act only if the opportunity cost makes sense.
Frequently asked
Should fantasy managers add Bryce Eldridge right now?
The Athletic’s Andy Behrens flagged Eldridge because the Giants need to find regular at-bats for the recently promoted top prospect. That makes him a watchlist or speculative add, especially in deeper leagues. In shallow formats, managers can wait for clearer playing-time patterns before using a roster spot.
Is Jack Perkins the confirmed closer?
Based on the available source, no confirmed permanent closer role is established here. The Athletic’s headline points to a “closing time” fantasy angle, which makes Perkins relevant for managers chasing saves. But this cluster does not include a team announcement or multi-source confirmation of a stable bullpen hierarchy.
Why is this not treated as major MLB news?
The source is a fantasy baseball takeaways column, not a hard-news report about a major transaction or formal role change. That does not make it useless. It means the article should be read as advisory analysis for fantasy managers rather than a broad MLB development with confirmed long-term implications.
What should managers watch next?
For Eldridge, watch whether San Francisco gives him regular at-bats and where he fits in the lineup. For Perkins, track late-inning usage, save opportunities, and whether the bullpen pattern repeats. Those real usage signals matter more than a single fantasy column when deciding waiver priority or roster moves.
