Monday night at Dodger Stadium should have been something special.

A chance to sell some hope to a fanbase that’s suffered through mediocrity for all but a year this decade, all while their archrival has lapped them multiple times over.

The San Francisco Giants’ top prospect, Bryce Eldridge, up in the big leagues for good, presenting prodigious left-handed power against the Dodgers’ righty starter, Roki Sasaki.

Except Eldridge wasn’t in the lineup, sitting at the start of his second straight game and third of the last four.

He’s not injured or anything. The Giants have just decided not to start him.

Call it bizarre, strange, or malpractice — just don’t call it sensical.

Because if Eldridge isn’t in the starting lineup against right-handed starting pitchers, while the Giants boast the single worst offense in baseball and a playoff percentage that’s under 10 percent, it’s fair to ask, “What are we doing here?”

I want to be fair, so let me take a minute to ensure I have the Giants’ logic (if you can call it that) straight:

• The brain trust sent Eldridge to Triple-A Sacramento out of camp with a huff of indignation so he could work on his strikeout rate.

• They watched him rake in Sacramento, but the kid’s strikeout issues remained.

• Realizing their big-league offense was performing with the punch of a wet noodle, the Giants called him up as a distraction — sorry… offensive spark.

And now, they’re sitting him day in and day out. But don’t worry, they’re actively looking for pinch-hit opportunities.

I wish I were kidding. Giants manager Tony Vitello actually said that on Monday.

Did they really call up their 50-home-run power prospect to only be a late-inning sub?

There isn’t a single right-handed hitter in the worst lineup in baseball who can take the night off to give the kid some reps?

With this “plan,” Giants fans are getting the worst of both worlds: Eldridge isn’t developing any further — unless you consider spitting sunflower seeds part of learning how to be in the show — and he isn’t giving the big-league club much of anything in the process.

I’d call this prospect management galaxy-brained, but I’m not sure the second part of that insult comes into play.

You don’t call up a 21-year-old phenom to provide a “spark” and then keep the matches in your pocket.

Why is this kid on the 26-man roster if you’re not going to play him?

The incongruity of their messaging is too much to justify.

This isn’t about one game in May — it’s about the direction of this franchise.

The Giants are currently operating with the consistency of a weather vane in a hurricane.

There’s no discernible plan, just a series of panicked reactions to fires they started themselves.

Eldridge represents one of the few reasons to tune in right now — a homegrown power threat who could actually make the Giants feel like there’s some reason tomorrow will be better than today.

By sitting him, the Giants aren’t protecting his development; they’re broadcasting their own fickleness. It’s bad enough that they alternate between belief and skepticism with a top prospect — go down to the minors, we need you up now, actually sit on the bench — but imagine this act from the perspective of Eldridge.

This lack of conviction — or any discernible, coherent plan — is enough to justify Eldridge losing faith in the organization itself.

If you’re going to be bad, at least be interesting. And if you’re going to call up the youth, you need to actually play them.

Monday night should have been another exciting edition of the Bryce Eldridge show, the only enjoyable show the Giants can present most days.

Instead, it was just another rerun of the Giants tripping over their own feet.