Don’t sleep on the Yankees calling up one of these stud prospects in September

The Yankees are headed to the playoffs, but are currently beset with injuries. September call-ups could give their roster a major boost.

The Yankees are in a bit of an unusual situation heading into September. The team will almost certainly make the playoffs, but Aaron Boone is scrambling his lineup to cover for big time injuries every night. He’s certainly a manager that can benefit from the ability to expand his roster next week.

The real question is which players will get a real opportunity to help the big league club. Remember, anyone on the 40-man roster can be added to the major league roster without penalty. That doesn’t mean prospects outside that group can’t be called up, but those transactions would require an open spot on the 40-man to be completed.

Without delay, let’s look at eight guys who can help out in the Bronx next week. We start with a versatile position player who’s

8. Abital Avelino

The versatile infielder has garnered some attention from being quickly pulled from the Scranton lineup this weekend. It’s possible the Yankees could be planning to bring him up prior to Sept. 1, but it’s equally likely he’s being prepared for a trade.

Avelino isn’t a big time prospect, but he does check in at No. 23 in the organization’s rankings. At the very least, he could add some depth to the team at 2nd, 3rd and short stop. He doesn’t profile as a difference maker, but his versatility will give him a chance to score some at bats.

7. Luis Cessa

Cessa isn’t a new name for Yankees fans. He epitomizes what scouts mean when they call someone a AAAA player. He’s a little too good to ply his trade in the minors, but his stuff is too flat to get out major league hitters consistently.

This is likely his last year in the Yankees organization. He could still get a Sept. call-up to eat some innings in the bullpen. Don’t look for him to start a meaningful game down the stretch, but it’s conceivable he could get another outing or two to protect more important arms in the bullpen.