September has arrived, and this is the time of year where MLB rosters expand and teams traditionally make their September call-up decisions. Because of the existing service time rules, we don't see as many high-profile call-ups in the last month of the season as we used to. However, playoff contenders still need depth of talent and non-contenders still like to occasionally give top prospects a taste of the big leagues, so we did get a fair number of at least interesting September call-ups this season.
Most of the real fireworks when it came to prospect call-ups weren't technically September call-ups at all. For example, the Pirates called up Bubba Chandler towards the end of August, and Samuel Basallo finally got his big-league opportunity with the Orioles last month as well.
However, there are a few moves that still qualify as top prospect movement among the September call-ups, as well as one move that probably really needed to be made.
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September call-ups that could completely alter the MLB playoff race
The goal here isn't to identify every promotion that could impact the playoff race because, well, there are too many of them to do that. Instead, these are the two names that both have the prospect pedigree to be impact players and who play for teams that are at least still in the running for a spot in the postseason.
Sal Stewart, Reds
Cincinnati still finds themselves on the outside looking in on the chase for a playoff spot, but they are only four games out of the final NL Wild Card spot with about a month left in the season. After waiting a painfully long time, the Reds finally called up Sal Stewart when rosters expanded. MLB Pipeline's No. 31 prospect immediately made an impact in his first game over the weekend, and with his stellar hit tool and ability to avoid striking out, Cincy could put together a run in September if he plays well.
Harry Ford, Mariners
Seattle famously needs offense, and trading for Eugenio Suarez hasn't seemed to help matters much. Calling up Ford, the No. 40-ranked prospect in baseball, was a bit of an odd choice given that the Mariners already have two catchers on their roster. However, adding Ford gives Seattle flexibility to play both Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver against lefties without having to roll the dice in the event something happens to one of them. After a great showing in Triple-A this season, Ford could prove to be a X-factor in the AL West race.
The Yankees not calling up Spencer Jones feels like a missed opportunity
New York is finally playing better than they were, and appear to be solidifying their place in the standings ahead of the postseason. However, there is no denying that their offense can be maddeningly inconsistent, which is why it is a little puzzling that they didn't call up Spencer Jones. Jones is the type of impact bat that most organizations would love to have. Unfortunately, the Yankees' outfield situation is weirdly crowded and Jones' strikeout issues remain a concern. More and more, it seems like New York could end up trading Jones away this coming offseason before he starts losing value.