We're about two weeks from the end of August. Once the calendar page turns, MLB teams have the option to expand their rosters. Now, few teams will increase their clubhouse numbers to the maximum 40 players, and most will add only a handful of new faces to the mix.
Still, some of these additions are bound to be highly anticipated prospects. If not for season-ending surgeries, we might be welcoming the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. (fractured thumb) and Nick Senzel (torn tendon in right index finger) to The Show. Unfortunately, their arrivals will have to wait.
The truth is that you already know who the biggest potential September call-ups might be. Between Toronto's twosome of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, and the White Sox's Eloy Jimenez and Michael Kopech, the only thing preventing their first "cup of coffee" is whether their respective front offices will allow the home fans to "see tomorrow today." If and when guys like this do get recalled, if you haven't already claimed them on the waiver wire (especially in dynasty leagues), you're probably too late.
No, the best move in fantasy is to see whether you can identify a few potential September additions -- and ones who have a chance to make a difference -- and stash them on your bench now so that you don't miss out later when the rest of your league starts to pay attention to these types of players.
Obviously, in theory, potential last-minute roster adds can come from any of the 30 MLB organizations. But, in practice, there are situations that can help greatly narrow down the options.
1) Major-league teams in playoff contention, though they are bound to add some depth to their bench and bullpens, likely won't use any of these call-ups significantly enough to warrant a free-agent pickup in fantasy.
2) For minor-league teams that make the playoffs, those parent organizations are more likely to have players test their mettle in that high-stress environment, rather than have them wallow on a big league bench.
Put those two factors together and we can group teams in three categories:
MLB playoff contenders: Boston, Cleveland, Houston, Yankees, Oakland, Seattle, Atlanta, Cubs, Arizona, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Colorado, Dodgers, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Washington.
MLB non-contenders with solid Triple-A teams: Tampa Bay (Durham in first place), Angels (Salt Lake in contention), Detroit (Toledo in contention), Baltimore (Norfolk in contention), San Diego (El Paso in first place), Mets (Las Vegas hanging around in race).
MLB non-contenders with Triple-A teams out of the playoff hunt: Toronto, White Sox, Minnesota, Texas, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Miami.
It's that last group for which call-ups are most likely. We've already discussed Toronto and the White Sox, so let's key in on which players to target from the remaining options. In many cases, it's not so much prospects who get a chance to showcase their skills in September, but rather, players who get the call as a reward for a solid season on the farm.
Christian Lopes, 2B, Texas Rangers: Although he's batting just .247 this season, Lopes just slugged his 11th home run of the season for Round Rock on Tuesday, and he's batting .281 for the season away from home.
Frank Schwindel, OF, Kansas City Royals: Omaha has been good to this 26-year-old. For the season, he's batting .286 with 21 HRs and 77 RBIs and he's been super hot in August, with a .389 average and a 1.098 OPS.
Josh Staumont, RP, Kansas City Royals: The reliever has a 12.18 K/9 and a .214 BAA this season in 35 outings, the vast majority of which have come in relief. Both he and LHP Richard Lovelady (2.52 ERA, 6-for-8 in saves) could be major parts of Kansas City's bullpen next season.
Eric Campbell, 3B, Miami Marlins: The former New York Mets utility option will probably end his career as one of those Quad-A guys, never quite becoming good enough to stick in the bigs. Still, after hitting .313 with 6 HRs and 68 RBIs this season at New Orleans, he deserves another chance to get the call, even if it's just for a month.
Stephen Gonsalves, SP, Minnesota Twins: He started the year at Double-A Chattanooga, going 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA. At Rochester, he's 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA overall and 5-0 with a 1.40 ERA in his past 10 starts. Shouldn't he be getting starts instead of Ervin Santana?
Lucas Sims, SP, Cincinnati Reds: After getting shipped from Atlanta in the Adam Duvall trade, Sims has gone 4-4 with a 2.92 ERA and a 10.28 K/9 rate in Louisville. He'd probably have gotten the call had the Reds found a trading partner for Matt Harvey. Maybe they'll give Sims a shot at some starts in September.