The calendar has officially flipped to September, an important date on the MLB calendar for several different reasons. Not only does it mean the regular season has officially hit crunch time, but it also means that all 30 teams have two extra roster spots to play with — one for a hitter and one for a pitcher. For playoff hopefuls looking to give themselves that extra boost they need to reach October, it's an invaluable opportunity.
And yet, far too many front offices failed to take advantage of it this year. Plenty of fan bases around the league found themselves frustrated on Tuesday afternoon, as their teams opted for veterans and retreads rather than taking big swings on top prospects. Will that prove to be the right call in the end? Only time will tell. But if it doesn't, some executives will have a lot to answer for.
Los Angeles Dodgers: INF Alex Freeland
Who fans wanted instead: James Tibbs III or Josue De Paula
With Andy Pages on the IL and both Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez struggling at the plate, the Dodgers outfield has been a bit of a mess of late, one of the main reasons why they're not hitting the way you'd expect from a billion-dollar lineup. But while the team has several of the best outfield prospects in the sport — highlighted by Tibbs III and De Paula, Nos. 6 and 71 on FanSided's top 100 — biding their time in the high Minors, none of them heard their names called once the calendar flipped to September.
Instead, L.A. recalled Freeland, who's posted a 75 OPS+ across 195 at-bats this season but brings valuable positional flexibility as the Dodgers shift Tommy Edman to center to cover for Pages. Translation: Hernandez and Tucker aren't going anywhere, as Los Angeles gives them a very long leash to figure it out before October.
Philadelphia Phillies: RHP Grant Holman
Who fans wanted instead: Gage Wood
The clear crown jewel of Philly's farm system, Wood has continued to miss tons of bats since his promotion to Double-A earlier this summer, even if the top-line results (4.83 ERA) are a bit misleading. But the team apparently doesn't quite trust him to hang at the highest level, instead tapping Holman, a journeyman whom they claimed off waivers back in May. He's pitched to a 3.12 ERA at Triple-A since, and that experience has won out — at least for now. But it's still very possible we see Wood in the big-league bullpen before the year is through.
Boston Red Sox: INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Who fans wanted instead: Franklin Arias
A consensus top-10 prospect in the sport, Arias hasn't missed a beat since getting the bump up to Triple-A, slashing .290/.350/.467 with four homers across his first 28 games. He doesn't turn 21 until November, though, and the Red Sox don't feel comfortable calling his number just yet despite a clear need for more oomph in the middle infield. Instead, Kiner-Falefa has been recalled from the IL.
IKF has been a bit of a pleasant surprise at the plate so far this season, and he can play all over the diamond as Boston's needs change, but he comes with a drastically lower ceiling — particularly offensively. Asking Arias to end his year in the Majors would have been a lot, but this Red Sox lineup feels like it needs a big swing.
Chicago Cubs: RHP Tyler Ferguson
Who fans wanted instead: Jaxon Wiggins
The Cubs pitching, both the rotation and bullpen, is in disarray at the moment. Which made the prospect of a Wiggins promotion — long one of Chicago's best pitching prospects who's been lights out since shifting into a relief role at Triple-A — so enticing. Alas, Jed Hoyer and Co. went with a retread in Ferguson, who was fine enough in his first stint on the North Side earlier this year but doens't exactly have the most exciting track record. It's possible that Wiggins could still factor into the team's plans down the stretch, but with how much is riding on the next few weeks for Chicago, they need all their best arms up as soon as possible.
Pittsburgh Pirates: LHP Brandon Eisert
Who fans wanted instead: Anyone who is not Brandon Eisert
Most of the inclusions on this list are much more about who their teams didn't call up than anything to do with the actual call-ups themselves. That is, except for the Pirates, which have brought back a reliever who posted a 7.71 ERA across his first seven appearances in Pittsburgh before getting send down. You'd think that sort of performance would disqualify you from getting another crack during a playoff push (although the Pirates are just hanging onto the fringes of Wild Card contention), but that's the sorry state of this bullpen right now.
Cleveland Guardians: UTIL Daniel Schneemann
Who fans wanted instead: Ralphy Velazquez
You can understand why Guardians fans were hoping that Cleveland would call up Velazquez, the team's top prospect who's been laying waste to Triple-A of late. Unfortunately, the fit isn't great at the big-league level: Velazquez is a corner bat who needs to be protected from left-handed pitching, and that's a player type the Guards are already overindexed on with Chase DeLauter and Nathaniel Lowe. Which is why Schneemann got the call instead, as a guy without any real platoon splits who can play all over the diamond, even if he does little to raise Cleveland's ceiling.
Minnesota Twins: INF Ben Ross
Who fans wanted instead: Emmanuel Rodriguez
With Minnesota falling further and further out of the AL Wild Card and AL Central pictures, fans were hoping to get a look at Rodriguez, one of the team's top prospects. Not only has the outfielder been hitting well at Triple-A since returning from the IL, but he'll also be out of Minor League options next spring, meaning the Twins have a vested interest in seeing what they have against big-league pitching before they have to make a difficult roster decision in 2027.
Instead, the team played it safe, calling up a player in Ross who can help keep the team afloat against lefty pitching (unlike Rodriguez) and play all over the diamond. But while that's a cleaner fit on paper, I'm not sure how it's advancing any of the organization's goals, given the unlikelihood of a postseason run this year and how important Rodriguez could potentially be next year and beyond.
Add us as a preferred source on Google