This isn’t some cynical ploy to put butts in the seats.

It’s not a Hail Mary to stave off headline irrelevancy, either.

No, ahead of a week-long road trip and amid a playoff race, the San Francisco Giants are calling up their top prospect — power-hitting first baseman Bryce Eldridge — and they’re doing it for the purest of reasons:

They think he can be the difference.

And it’s the right button to push at exactly the right time for Giants director of baseball operations and eager button-pusher Buster Posey.

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Frankly, Posey’s team shouldn’t be in the position they are. A month ago, they were spiraling, three games under .500 and more than five games back of a playoff spot.

And since Aug. 14, San Francisco has won 16 of 28 games — better than good but not elite.

Yet be

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