7 MLB Prospect Call-Ups Who Could Have Major Impact Down the Stretch
Major League Baseball's trade market can no longer help teams in search of playoff spots, and pickings on the free-agent market are about as slim as they always are come August.
So, if contenders want help, their best hope is to find it from within by promoting their top prospects.
Here are seven who haven't yet their made league debuts but could in the final weeks of the 2023 season. All seven were named in the latest top 100 from B/R's Joel Reuter, just as all seven can be found doing well a step away from the majors at Triple-A.
Before we get to them, we'll first acknowledge some honorable mentions who've already gotten at least one call-up and may get the call again at some point.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 8
RHP Gavin Stone, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 24
2023 Stats (AAA): 17 G, 17 GS, 80.2 IP, 75 H (10 HR), 95 K, 37 BB, 5.36 ERA
Rank: Honorable Mention
This year has seen Stone struggle both in the minors and in his four appearances with the Dodgers, wherein he got roughed up for 18 runs in 12 innings. He's on a nice run now, though, culminating in an appearance last Friday in which he pitched six no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
RHP Owen White, Texas Rangers
Age: 24
2023 Stats (AA/AAA): 18 G, 18 GS, 80.2 IP, 62 H (11 HR), 61 K, 38 BB, 4.02 ERA
Rank: No. 92
Granted, the Rangers rotation is already crowded and will be even more so whenever Nathan Eovaldi comes off the injured list. White has such good stuff, however, and he may at least be able to help out of the bullpen.
SS Marco Luciano, San Francisco Giants
Age: 21
2023 Stats (AA/AAA): 68 G, 292 PA, 13 HR, 6 SB, .231 AVG, .336 OBP, .445 SLG
Rank: No. 67
The Giants called Luciano up in late July only to send him back down to Triple-A Sacramento four days later for the sake of expanding his defensive versatility. Should the Giants need an infielder, he'll still be there for them.
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta
Age: 20
2023 Stats (A+/AA/AAA): 11 G, 11 GS, 51.1 IP, 33 H (4 HR), 65 K, 23 BB, 2.63 ERA
Rank: No. 38
Atlanta has called up Smith-Shawver on two separate occasions, neither of which produced anything particularly memorable. But if not to help in the rotation, it seems possible that his next call will be about putting his fastball and slider to use in the pen.
INF Michael Busch, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 25
2023 Stats (AAA): 77 G, 378 PA, 20 HR, 2 SB, .321 AVG, .429 OBP, .600 SLG
Rank: No. 32
Busch failed to impress in two separate auditions with the big club earlier in the year, going 9-for-45 with 16 strikeouts. But since returning to Triple-A Oklahoma City in June, he's made a strong case for another shot by hitting .331 with 13 home runs.
RHP Connor Phillips, Cincinnati Reds
2 of 8
Age: 22
2023 Stats (AA/AAA): 21 G, 21 GS, 93.2 IP, 81 H (10 HR), 145 K, 49 BB, 3.36 ERA
Rank: Honorable Mention
If you want an explanation for why the Reds have dropped seven of their first eight games in August, here's a good one: their pitchers have started the month with a 7.71 ERA.
Like Paul Simon once did for Joe DiMaggio, one can practically hear Reds fans crying out for Connor Phillips. And, well, why not? This is nothing if not a "let the kids play" year for the Reds, and he is one of the more talented ones they have left in the minors.
The 6'2", 209-pound righty is about as overpowering as his results suggest. He works off a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and also features a curveball and a slider. His changeup is a weakness, but he's been about as effective against lefties as righties anyway.
The catch with Phillips is that he's been known to issue ball four, and especially lately as he's walked 22 guys in 29 innings since getting the bump to Triple-A Louisville. All the same, it's hard to look at him and not see a guy who's worth a shot.
INF Osleivis Basabe, Tampa Bay Rays
3 of 8
Age: 22
2023 Stats (AAA): 91 G, 414 PA, 4 HR, 16 SB, .300 AVG, .354 OBP, .431 SLG
Rank: No. 94
The Rays only just called up No. 42 prospect Curtis Mead, and it looks like he's going to see regular action at third base on an infield rounded out by Wander Franco, Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz.
But even if it's not until rosters expand from 26 to 28 members in September, the time is coming when the Rays will have to give Osleivis Basabe a look.
He's a bit of an unspectacular prospect in that he's neither a slugger nor a burner, but he can hit. He's a .312 hitter in five minor league seasons and it seems he's starting to get the hang of Triple-A after a relatively slow start. He hit .322 and drove in 21 runs in 21 games in July.
What's more, Basabe isn't a one-position guy. Or even a two-position guy, for that matter. He's started at least 21 games at shortstop, second base and third base, so the Rays wouldn't exactly be short on ways to incorporate him into the lineup when his time comes.
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OF Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox
4 of 8
Age: 22
2023 Stats (AA/AAA): 92 G, 412 PA, 17 HR, 33 SB, .303 AVG, .346 OBP, .522 SLG
Rank: No. 72
Just as the Rays are generally set on the infield, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has his hands full trying to find playing time for Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo, Adam Duvall and Rob Refsnyder in the outfield.
It's nonetheless getting harder to ignore Ceddanna Rafaela. He's been on a power binge since moving to Triple-A Worcester in June, homering 11 times in 32 games.
Not bad, especially considering that power generally isn't considered one of his calling cards. He's more of a speedster, and he's such a gifted defender that MLB.com put him in the running for the best out of all prospects back in January.
As to the playing time pickle in Boston, at least one Red Sox outfielder is keeping the door open for Rafaela. Between his ongoing slump and his benching this past weekend, Verdugo seems intent on shortening his leash.
RHP Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs
5 of 8
Age: 23
2023 Stats (AA/AAA): 19 G, 19 GS, 85.0 IP, 65 H (10 HR), 120 K, 46 BB, 3.81 ERA
Rank: No. 64
Frankly, it's amazing that we're even talking about Ben Brown as a potential call-up right now.
Because of Tommy John surgery in 2019 and the pandemic in 2020, he made all of 33 appearances and pitched all of 100.1 innings between 2017 and 2021. Such little action in a five-season span isn't exactly ideal for a prospect's development.
And yet, he showed progress throughout 2022 and has mostly done more of the same in 2023. His 4.85 ERA for Triple-A Iowa may not reflect as much, but that comes with 90 strikeouts in 65 innings and he's currently on a heater with a 1.80 ERA over his last three starts.
The 6'6", 210-pounder already looms as a potential helper for a Cubs rotation that's currently a man short with Marcus Stroman on the injured list. Otherwise, his plus fastball and plus curveball could be useful out of the bullpen.
SS/3B Noelvi Marte, Cincinnati Reds
6 of 8
Age: 21
2023 Stats (Rk/AA/AAA): 83 G, 361 PA, 10 HR, 16 SB, .277 AVG, .357 OBP, .455 SLG
Rank: No. 48
With Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, Matt McClain at second base, Christian Encarnacion-Strand at first base and Spencer Steer also floating around, the Reds are already well-stocked with rookie infielders.
But, really, what's one more? Especially if this one could help out at third base, where Nick Senzel isn't exactly inspiring confidence with his .223 average and 0.1 rWAR.
Thus we propose the Reds consider Noelvi Marte. He's played the hot corner exclusively since he got called up to Triple-A Louisville in June, and he's at least shown off a bat worthy of the position to the tune of an .823 OPS.
Of course, it would be understandable if the Reds didn't want to assume Marte is ready to be an everyday third baseman so soon after leaving shortstop behind. But like we said earlier, this is a "let the kids play" season if there ever was one.
OF/1B Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore Orioles
7 of 8
Age: 24
2023 Stats (AA/AAA): 93 G, 411 PA, 19 HR, 4 SB, .323 AVG, .396 OBP, .583 SLG
Rank: No. 37
We can neither confirm nor deny that the Orioles have a literal clown car full of talented young hitters, but it sure feels that way.
What's for sure is that Heston Kjerstad is next in line to follow in the footsteps of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg. He's actually upped his OPS since moving from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk in June, and he's fresh off hitting .387 with a 1.094 OPS in July.
The hard part is determining how he would fit on the big club. The Orioles are set with Austin Hays and Anthony Santander in the corners of their outfield, and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle already has a lefty-hitting platoon partner in Ryan O'Hearn.
Yet even if the Orioles have to wait until rosters expand, it'll be worth their while to find at-bats for Kjerstad and see what he does with them. If he did rake, the at-bats would simply need to become permanent.
LHP Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants
8 of 8
Age: 21
2023 Stats (Rk/AAA): 19 G, 19 GS, 60.1 IP, 45 H (9 HR), 98 K, 48 BB, 4.62 ERA
Rank: No. 14
With Anthony DeSclafani unlikely to pitch again during the regular season, the Giants rotation is down to Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Ross Stripling and whoever's available when they're not.
This is not to suggest it's an easy call to promote Kyle Harrison. Even setting aside his obvious control issues, he only just got back on the mound after missing a few weeks with a hamstring strain.
If nothing else, though, the 6'2", 200-pound lefty's stuff is major league-ready. His slider is a legit plus pitch and his fastball is even better. It sits in the mid-90s and plays up because of his unique release point and exceptional movement.
Even if he needs another start or two for Triple-A Sacramento first, the Giants don't have much to lose by giving Harrison his shot. If he makes the most of it, he could even find himself tasked with getting outs in the playoffs.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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