September Call-Ups Already Proving They Can Make 2016 Postseason Impact
Usually a trial run for rookies, MLB's September roster expansions have instead become a portal for second chances.
Prominent prospects are now typically promoted before the final month, especially if they can help a contender. In years past, Alex Bregman, Gary Sanchez and Jameson Taillon might have debuted as September call-ups.
Now it looks like they should have arrived sooner.
Outside of Yoan Moncada, who has quickly proven too raw for a grand stage, no star youngster has began his MLB career this month. In most cases, the most notable call-ups are working their way back into good graces after an earlier demotion.
Regardless of their journey to the majors, the following players can impact the playoff picture and earn a postseason roster spot.
Jose De Leon, P, Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Los Angeles Dodgers don't want to start a rookie in October, but they might need to.
Both sporting sub-2.00 ERAs, the recently returned Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill form a potent one-two punch ahead of Kenta Maeda. Yet Kershaw missed two months with a back injury, and Hill hasn't hurled 100 innings in a season since 2007. A three-man rotation is a stretch given their health concerns.
At least they're pitching now. Scott Kazmir, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Alex Wood are all seated on the disabled list, leaving newcomers Ross Stripling, Julio Urias and Jose De Leon. Promoted later than expected, the last of the three will push for the No. 4 spot.
De Leon, a 24-year-old with a 2.61 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in Triple-A, has continued to generate whiffs in the majors. After accruing 111 strikeouts over 86.1 minor league innings, he recorded nine punchouts during his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres.
Baseball America's No. 25 midseason prospect only made one start through May, which proves a positive. The Dodgers don't have to worry about shutting him down as a precaution. On the other hand, they have monitored Urias carefully, but the 20-year-old has still thrown 36.2 more innings (117) than last year.
Piling on the strikeouts without issuing many walks, De Leon should stick in Los Angeles' rotation for the long haul. If there's no room there this postseason, he can dominate in shorter spurts as a long reliever.
Yoan Moncada, INF, Boston Red Sox
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OK, so Moncada's debut has not gone well.
Baseball's most hyped prospect has struck out a dozen times in 20 plate appearances while accruing one extra-base hit. Considering the 21-year-old started the season in Single-A and skipped Triple-A, it's not surprising to see him overmatched at the highest level.
The Boston Red Sox quickly abandoned their initial plans to play him at third base over the competent platoon of Travis Shaw and Aaron Hill. Yet if Moncada shows anything during these final weeks, it's still not far-fetched to envision a postseason role for the neophyte.
He certainly won't start, but the future stud could contribute as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. Although he hasn't stolen a base for Boston, the speedster swiped 91 bags over 187 career minor league games. He can fly as long as someone else reaches first base for him.
While Moncada undeniably needs more seasoning, 20 plate appearances is an awfully small sample size to overlook someone of such immense talent. Best-case scenario: He follows the path of Xander Bogaerts, who branched off a September call-up by notching an .893 postseason OPS during Boston's 2013 title run.
Joe Kelly, P, Boston Red Sox
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Last year, Joe Kelly improbably won eight straight starts through August and early September. Entering the stretch with a 6.11 ERA, he pressed reset and garnered a 1.87 ERA during the streak.
The late-season turnaround didn't transfer to 2016. In six starts, he surrendered 13 extra-base hits, 50 baserunners and 21 runs. For those still captivated by wins as a meaningful stat, he claimed two victories before the Red Sox booted him from the rotation.
Demoted in early July, he returned briefly for three appearances out of the bullpen, where he has operated since his September call-up. He has flourished in the new opportunity, striking out 11 batters over seven scoreless frames.
Before the promotion, the 28-year-old accumulated 25 strikeouts and two walks in 16 relief innings for Triple-A Pawtucket. Based on those promising results, Red Sox manager John Farrell correctly predicted Kelly's bounce-back return upon his arrival, per ESPN.com's Scott Lauber.
"He will help us, yes," Farrell said. "He's getting more swing-and-miss to his fastball, large part because I think he's done a good job of elevating it in key spots. He's going to have an opportunity to contribute and help this club."
On the strength of its thunderous lineup, Boston narrowly leads a four-team race for the American League East title. Without much rotation or bullpen depth, Kelly has become a major mid-inning asset who should make the postseason roster if the Red Sox maintain their spot.
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Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
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If given the chance, Yasiel Puig can save his decaying relationship with the Dodgers.
Since returning from a midseason demotion, the polarizing outfielder is 5-for-19 with four walks and three home runs. The timing of his Triple-A detour was also perplexing, as he had hit .308 (28-for-91) in 28 games off the disabled list.
Despite his .994 OPS, the Dodgers left Puig in Oklahoma City until rosters expanded. Now he's stuck fighting with Howie Kendrick, Andre Ethier, Josh Reddick and the red-hot Andrew Toles for playing time.
He should at least play against southpaws since Ethier and Reddick are both left-handed hitters with notable platoon splits. While his own Dodgers wield the most left-handed starters, they could have to combat the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner and/or Chicago Cubs' Jon Lester in October.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Dodgers nearly sent Puig to the Milwaukee Brewers for Ryan Braun. Neither side closed the door on revisiting these talks during the offseason, but Puig should receive a final opportunity to prove his value.
Luis Severino, P, New York Yankees
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Before Gary Sanchez spearheaded a youth revival in the Big Apple, the New York Yankees entered 2016 expecting big things from Luis Severino.
After notching a 2.89 ERA last year, the 22-year-old is working to repair a 5.98 mark slightly salvaged by his newfound dominance in the bullpen.
Starter Severino and reliever Severino are two completely different hurlers. In the rotation, he relinquished 41 earned runs in 43 innings with a .340/.380/.596 opposing slash line. From the bullpen, the righty hasn't allowed an earned run in 18 frames.
The last time the Yankees tried to shift him back into a starting role, he got tagged for a dozen runs over two outings. They learned their lesson. Used exclusively as a reliever since his September call-up, he has tossed 10.1 scoreless innings.
Trading Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman bumped Dellin Betances into the closer's role, where the dominant reliever rarely works more than four outs at a time and is shielded from high-leverage spots outside the ninth. Severino, however, can extinguish earlier fires over two or three frames.
This vast discrepancy puts his future use in doubt, but he's undoubtedly best employed from the bullpen during 2016's closing weeks. If the Yankees sneak into the playoffs despite moving two elite arms in July, he'll prove a massive reason why.
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