I heard from a source last night that the Pirates aren’t going to be calling anyone up from Indianapolis today, with rosters expanding at the start of September. MLB teams are limited to 25 players on the active roster all year, except for September, when they can have up to 40 players on the active roster, as long as those players are also on the 40-man roster.
The Pirates could change their plans, but it would make sense for them to avoid callups on September 1st. I’d expect them to add to the team by activating relievers Joaquin Benoit, George Kontos, and Wade LeBlanc. Those three might not all get activated today, although they are all eligible to come off the disabled list.
I’d expect the Indianapolis guys to come up eventually, and most likely when their playoff run is over. That could be as early as September 8th, which is a week from today, or it could be later if they advance and make a run. It would make sense for the Pirates to have those prospects playing in the Triple-A playoffs, since those are high pressure games, and probably a better source of innings and plate appearances at this point versus what they’d see in the majors.
But I do expect the young players to arrive at some point this month. And as I wrote yesterday, the Pirates need to give playing time to the young players this month. Here are the players who I think will be up, along with the role I see them playing (or hope to see them playing) when they arrive.
Definitely Getting Called Up
Drew Hutchison – He’s not a young player, but the Pirates are paying him $2.3 M, and he has posted good numbers in Indianapolis. I’d expect him up when the Triple-A season is over. I would almost put him in the next section with the depth options, but I feel he’s closer in potential usage to the guys in this list, compared to Johnny Barbato.
Tyler Glasnow – He’s actually scheduled to start tonight. He looks ready for another shot at the big leagues, but could get easier innings in the rotation in the playoffs. I’d expect him to get some starts once he does arrive in the majors. I will point out that Glasnow has had some issues in the playoffs in previous years, so if the Pirates are keeping him down for a playoff start or two, it might not be a bad approach. Give him some higher pressure starts for the first few weeks, then make him a starter in the majors for the second half of September.
Nick Kingham – He’s out of options next year, so I think we’re going to see him in September. I’m not sure how he would be used, and wouldn’t be surprised if he started out in the bullpen, with Tyler Glasnow and Steven Brault getting any starts.
Edgar Santana – He’s not eligible to return to the majors until tomorrow. I’m not sure if he’ll come up at that point, but when he does come up, I’d hope that he would be getting some of the innings the Pirates freed up by letting Juan Nicasio leave.
Depth Options
I could see several players coming up who are already on the 40-man roster, and who have already served depth roles throughout the year. I could see that continuing in September. Johnny Barbato would be the lone member of the pitching staff from this group. Gift Ngoepe, Jacob Stallings, and Chris Bostick would help out from the position player side.
The Pirates have one 40-man roster spot open, so if they needed to add one person from the next list, they would be fine. However, if they want to add two players, I’d expect one of these four to be designated for assignment. Then again, they could just move Gregory Polanco to the 60-day DL if he is indeed out for the season.
40-Man Roster Issues
Clay Holmes – Holmes is the one player from this group who is on the 40-man roster, although I’m not sure if he would come up. With Glasnow, Kingham, Brault, and others making their way up, there might not be enough innings for Holmes. I could see him as rotation depth next year, but I can’t see him getting many innings this year if he’s called up in September after the playoffs.
Tyler Eppler – Everything I said about Holmes applies to Eppler, with two differences. First is that he’s not on the 40-man roster, which means they would have to add him to call him up. That’s not a huge deal, and it’s inevitable, as they will need to add him this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. I also think that Eppler has a bigger chance to end up in the bullpen compared to Holmes, and while he could be rotation depth next year, it might make sense to give him a few innings in relief in the majors, just to get his feet wet.
Casey Sadler – Sadler is different from the previous two players because he’s a pending free agent. If the Pirates want to keep him, they will need to add him to the 40-man roster by the end of the season. That doesn’t mean he will come up. The Pirates have called some of their pending free agents up in previous years. Other players have been added to the 40-man roster after the season. Sadler’s recent performance and stuff would warrant a look though.
Already Up
I wrote about this yesterday, but the Pirates already have young players in the majors who should be getting more playing time in September. On the pitching side, Steven Brault would be a good choice for a start or two while Indianapolis is in the playoffs. Dovydas Neverauskas and Angel Sanchez would be good options to get the innings that Juan Nicasio would have pitched.
On the hitting side, I think Elias Diaz should be getting starts over Chris Stewart. I think Jordan Luplow, Jose Osuna, and Max Moroff should be getting more playing time, while guys like John Jaso shouldn’t see another start. For more of my thoughts on this, check out yesterday’s article.
