Top of the Order: September Reinforcements Are Coming

Welcome back to Top of the Order, where every Tuesday and Friday I’ll be starting your baseball day with some news, notes, and thoughts about the game we love.

September roster expansion isn’t nearly as supercharged as it was when teams could have up to 40 players in the dugout. Nowadays, clubs are limited to one extra position player and one extra pitcher, so in conjunction with the universal DH and the ghost runner in extra innings, we’ll forever be deprived of crazy box scores like this one.

With rosters more gently inflated than bloated, next month is likely to see more moves than there were back when teams didn’t have to be quite so discerning; those two extra spots are valuable, and teams will surely cycle through guys to fill them. Let’s take a look at which players could make a difference for their club come September.

AL East

The chorus of Yankees fans clamoring for Jasson Domínguez is very, very loud (just spend 30 seconds on Twitter), and those pleas will no doubt continue as long as Alex Verdugo isn’t carrying his weight. Aaron Boone has been reticent to bench either Verdugo or DJ LeMahieu, but there’s no denying that Domínguez has tantalizing potential, even though he’s been more good than great in Triple-A. On the pitching side, the Yankees will have room to add injured pitchers Ian Hamilton and Lou Trivino while only cutting one pitcher currently in the Bronx.

The Orioles are hoping to have injured players like Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad available at some point down the stretch, and top prospect Coby Mayo could also be back up as he looks to put his first-stint struggles behind him. Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez will impact the rotation, albeit not immediately. On the flip side, Trevor Rogers‘ first Triple-A start went horribly; he may not be back up this year.

It was thought that Trevor Story’s shoulder injury would keep him out for the rest of the season, but amazingly, it looks like he’ll be back next month despite undergoing surgery for a fractured glenoid (a bone I definitely knew about before reading his injury report). That should push Ceddanne Rafaela back to center field, where he’s a better defender. Quinn Priester and Richard Fitts have both been rock solid for Worcester and could reinforce a pitching staff that’s been relying on quite a few bullpen games of late.

Of the guys the Rays still have down in Triple-A, infielder Ronny Simon is particularly interesting. He could get a look despite requiring a 40-man spot, though it would be easier to simply call up Jonathan Aranda, Curtis Mead, Austin Shenton, or Osleivis Basabe. Assuming nothing else is ailing him, starter Zack Littell ought to be back from shoulder fatigue, but I wonder if the Rays will take a look at Ian Seymour, who’s pitched very well across two levels.

With Alek Manoah and Jordan Romano out for the season, Bo Bichette is the one injured Blue Jay who could be back. The Jays couldn’t fit every new guy on the roster after their deadline sell-off, but they can take September as an opportunity to look at starter Jake Bloss and outfielder Jonatan Clase.

AL Central

As their division lead slips away, the Guardians would probably love to make the impactful addition they didn’t make at the trade deadline, but I don’t think Chase DeLauter is coming to save them. They’ll probably just bring back a versatile option like Gabriel Arias or Angel Martínez, though I suppose we can’t rule out a more notable addition like George Valera. Alex Cobb should be back from a cracked fingernail to help out the pitching staff.

The Royals’ reinforcements should largely come from the injured list, with Hunter Renfroe, Hunter Harvey, and Michael Lorenzen all dealing with short-term ailments. Evan Sisk has been otherworldly out of the Triple-A bullpen and might be added at some point if Kansas City wants to bolster a relief corps anchored by Lucas Erceg.

The Twins have an even more impressive injured list than the Royals and are surely hoping that Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton will help out the offense. That could lead to a tough decision, like sending Austin Martin back to the minors. With the rotation in decent shape, Louie Varland could be brought up to really air it out in relief, as he’s done successfully in the past.

The Tigers have slow-played Casey Mize’s rehab from a hamstring strain, but he’ll finally make his return on Friday, giving Detroit another actual starter to break up all the bullpen games. Still, having another reliever when rosters expand on Sunday will be helpful, as will having another position player spot to evaluate someone like Justyn-Henry Malloy, who had a 99 wRC+ in his first taste of the majors.

Over the next month, the White Sox should really stop toying with up-and-down guys like Oscar Colás and Bryan Ramos, and give them plenty of plate appearances to see what they have. Of course, whether Chicago actually takes the opportunity to play those guys over veterans like Nicky Lopez and Gavin Sheets — who simply won’t be a part of the next good Sox team, whenever the heck that is — is up for debate. Nick Nastrini and Ky Bush both pitched pretty badly in their first handful of big leauge starts but, again, it’s evaluation time! No need to see what you’ve got in a known quantity like Chris Flexen.

AL West

The Astros appear to be content cycling through guys to replace Kyle Tucker, with Ben Gamel and Jason Heyward the latest veteran additions, so I don’t think Pedro León will come back up after mostly being utilized off the bench. If Chas McCormick uses his time in Triple-A to iron out the issues that have plagued him all season, he could reemerge as a key bench bat against lefties at the very least. On the pitching side, the Astros have been rolling with a six-man rotation, so that extra bullpen spot will be helpful.

New skipper Dan Wilson might just have the Mariners back on track, with back-to-back series wins to start his tenure. The offense has actually been clicking (by Seattle’s standards) for those six games, so they’ll probably just add a complementary guy like Ryan Bliss. The starting staff is obviously all set, but the team lacks a true long reliever and could add an innings-eater like Jhonathan Diaz or Emerson Hancock to cover some low-leverage frames.

It doesn’t look like the Rangers will be facilitating a mass exodus of rental players, so there likely won’t be anything huge for their roster. Max Scherzer’s availability is a hard “maybe,” but that doesn’t mean it’s Kumar Rocker time, either, as excellent as his first Triple-A start was. Their additions will likely be players who’ve already been up this year, like Justin Foscue, Jack Leiter, and Gerson Garabito.

I really, really want the A’s to bring Ryan Noda back up; his three true outcomes style makes him an incredibly fun player. As difficult as he’d be to fit on the roster, I’m a Nodahead, so make it happen! If not him, Hoy Park had a great spring training and continues to perform well in Triple-A. Like the Astros, the A’s have a six-man rotation going, so the extra bullpen arm will be useful.

Frankly, I thought Christian Moore would be up by now, following in Nolan Schanuel’s footsteps as an Angels top draft pick having his minor league timeline supercharged. There’s no better time than Sunday to bring him up — this is a team that could really, really, really use some excitement. It’s also time to bring Reid Detmers back up to help the rotation; he’s finally hit his stride at Triple-A and there’s no good argument for keeping him in Salt Lake City.

NL East

The Phillies have about as solid a core as it gets, and they don’t really have top prospects knocking on the door anyway. A lefty bench bat like Kody Clemens would be useful, as would another lefty reliever like Tyler Gilbert, who could help fill in for José Alvarado while he’s on the restricted list due to a personal matter.

The only reinforcement the Braves could be getting is Ozzie Albies, and even so, that would be at the tail end of the month if his wrist heals quickly enough. In the meantime, they could add speed in Eli White or a lefty masher in Harold Ramírez. AJ Smith-Shawver could return as a weapon out of the bullpen, or they could go the more traditional route with the hard-throwing Daysbel Hernández.

The pitching additions will be straightforward for the Mets, who should have Paul Blackburn off the injured list shortly after rosters expand, allowing for Tylor Megill (who’s taking Blackburn’s rotation spot for now) to slide to the bullpen. On the offensive side of things, only four of the team’s 13 hitters can bat from the left side; DJ Stewart would help balance things.

The Nationals are playing some good ball of late, but it’s not as if they’re suddenly making a playoff push. They could make it interesting by promoting Brady House or Darren Baker, though either move would be pretty aggressive considering their middling Triple-A production. Brad Lord isn’t a hard thrower, but he is a strike thrower and their best performing arm down in Rochester.

September will be just like August for the Marlins: an exercise in seeing what they’ve got for the future. Deyvison De Los Santos, Javier Sanoja, Troy Johnston, and Agustin Ramirez are all hitting well down in Triple-A; any of the four would certainly make things interesting for a bad Miami club. The team doesn’t have much in the way of pitching prospects, but Adam Mazur was acquired from the Padres at the deadline and could get a look.

NL Central

The Brewers’ plug-and-play roster will get even more plugs on Sunday, with Tyler Black and Owen Miller both known commodities who can play many positions. Nick Mears is expected back soon to help the bullpen, but he won’t be eligible to return on Sunday. Elvis Peguero has been a solid enough arm for Milwaukee the last two years and is the likeliest to make a return.

Few teams are clicking as well as the Cubs have lately, but it probably won’t be quite enough for them to make the playoffs; there just aren’t enough games left. James Triantos, Matt Shaw, and Kevin Alcántara were just promoted to Triple-A, so they’re probably off the table, as exciting as further promotions would be. With starting lineup spots pretty well spoken for, they’ll probably go with a less sexy add like Miles Mastrobuoni. The same could hold true for the pitching staff, with journeyman Trey Wingenter a strong possibility.

Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker seem to have issues that will require more time to iron out than just a few weeks, so I don’t think they’ll be back in St. Louis so quickly. That said, the Cardinals could still bring up an exciting youngster in César Prieto or Thomas Saggese. Ryan Loutos could be back to help the bullpen unless they want to get really aggressive by promoting Quinn Mathews or bringing up Michael McGreevy again — not likely with the playoff odds being what they are.

Rhett Lowder is plenty exciting for the Reds, as he’s set to make his major league debut on Friday; the pitching addition Sunday is likely to be someone who can provide length out of a bullpen that’s been mighty busy lately. Nobody’s hitting extraordinarily well down in Louisville, so it could just be a bench bat coming up until Jake Fraley or Jeimer Candelario comes off the IL.

Last place with zero percent playoff odds isn’t where the Pirates were hoping to be, but it’s where they are. Colin Holderman is the one IL’d player expected back at some point; he’ll aid a bullpen that got hammered by the Cubs for three games. Now that Oneil Cruz is in center field full-time, there could be room on the infield for Nick Yorke or Liover Peguero.

NL West

Perhaps more than any other team in the league, the Dodgers are dealing with known quantities. The hope is that Tyler Glasnow comes back soon as the pitching addition, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto should be close behind. As far as hitters go, they’ll probably just bring James Outman or Andy Pages back up to help the outfield.

The Diamondbacks are surging, and they’re going to get even scarier when Ketel Marte, Christian Walker, and Gabriel Moreno are back to help the offense; the additional spot allows the Snakes to only have to send two players down when those guys are back, which can create even more favorable matchups. The pitching staff is pretty well set, but Tommy Henry and Yilber Diaz would both still have value as long relievers or spot starters.

As if the Padres bullpen couldn’t get any better, they’ll probably welcome Wandy Peralta back to it at some point, with knuckleballer Matt Waldron lurking as well. If Fernando Tatis Jr. doesn’t make it back, San Diego could still inject some speed with José Azocar (a far cry from Tatis, I know).

There could be more than two moves for the Giants if any of the waived Tyler Rogers, Thairo Estrada, or Tyler Matzek end up elsewhere, but even if those guys stay put, the team will probably move towards evaluating youngsters. Offensive options include Marco Luciano and Luis Matos, with Mason Black and Reggie Crawford among the pitching options.

I wish the Rockies would do something exciting just to make watching them more fun, but alas, I think they’ll just play the old hits. Sean Bouchard, Hunter Goodman, Greg Jones, Peter Lambert, Tanner Gordon, and Ty Blach have all been up this season and could be back.