7 Recent MLB Call-Ups Making the Most of Their Opportunity
A late-season call-up can lay the groundwork for a young player to win a spot on the Opening Day roster the following year, or it can be proof that a player needs more time in the minors if things don't go well.
Whether it's a top prospect being thrust into the heat of a pennant race on a contender or an older prospect getting an extended look on a non-contending team following a strong showing in the upper levels of the minors, the final months of the season are rife with opportunity.
Ahead, we've highlighted seven players who have made the most of their recent call-ups to the big leagues, focusing solely on names who have been promoted since Aug. 1.
Let's kick things off with a few honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
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RHP José Butto, New York Mets
Butto is in his third go-around on the MLB roster this season, as he made three spot starts early in the season and another in mid-August, going 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA and more walks (14) than strikeouts (10) in 14.2 innings.
Since returning to the big leagues at the beginning of September, he has a 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a 19-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17.1 innings over three starts.
RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long, Detroit Tigers
Gipson-Long didn't even crack the top 30 prospects in the Detroit system heading into the season, but he earned his first MLB action with a 4.33 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 126 strikeouts in 99.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
The 25-year-old has looked good in a pair of September starts against the Chicago White Sox (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K) and Los Angeles Angels (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 11 K) as he makes his case to be part of the starting rotation conversation next spring.
OF Richie Palacios, St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals acquired Palacios from the Cleveland Guardians in June in exchange for cash considerations, and he hit .299/.418/.459 with 15 extra-base hits in 40 games at Triple-A following the trade before joining the MLB roster in mid-August.
The 26-year-old is hitting .262/.308/.541 for a 127 OPS+ with five home runs and 11 RBI in 66 plate appearances, and he has seen time at all three outfield spots and second base. That versatility will serve him well in pursuit of a bench spot next year.
OF Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
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Stats: 44 PA, 178 OPS+, .314/.432/.600, 5 XBH (2 HR), 5 RBI, 10 R, 2 SB, 1.1 WAR
Outfielder Evan Carter checked in at No. 7 on B/R's latest Top 100 prospect update, which was released on Sept. 6.
Two days later, he made his MLB debut.
The 21-year-old is one of baseball's true five-tool prospects, and after a breakout 2022 campaign, he continued to impress this year in the upper levels of the minors, hitting .288/.413/.450 with 17 doubles, 13 home runs, 67 RBI, 79 runs scored and 26 steals in 108 games.
With a 15.8 percent walk rate against a 19.4 percent strikeout rate in three minor league seasons, his contact skills and plate discipline have helped him make a smooth transition to the big leagues, and he has taken over as the Rangers' everyday left fielder in the heat of a pennant race.
IF Nick Loftin, Kansas City Royals
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Stats: 47 PA, 163 OPS+, .372/.426/.535, 6 XBH (0 HR), 8 RBI, 7 R, 0.7 WAR
It appears the Kansas City Royals whiffed on left-hander Asa Lacy with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 draft, but they might have found a solid contributor with their next selection when they took Baylor infielder Nick Loftin at No. 32 overall.
The 24-year-old hit .270/.344/.444 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs and 56 RBI in 82 games at Triple-A this season, and he was called up to the majors when rosters expanded on Sept. 1.
Loftin has already made multiple starts at first base, second base and third base in the big leagues, and he spent the bulk of the 2022 season playing center field in the minors. That defensive versatility could be his ticket to a spot on the 2024 Opening Day roster.
"Versatility is a key and something that we're gonna really value," Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters. "We can make a bunch of in-game moves if we need to. And if guys go down, he can play a bunch of different spots."
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2B/3B Ronny Mauricio, New York Mets
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Stats: 70 PA, 93 OPS+, .277/.329/.369, 4 XBH (1 HR), 7 RBI, 5 R, 6 SB, 0.4 WAR
With Jeff McNeil at second base, Francisco Lindor at shortstop and promising young slugger Brett Baty poised to take over as the everyday third baseman, there was no clear path to playing time for Ronny Mauricio when the 2023 season began.
However, with McNeil capable of handling a corner outfield spot and Baty struggling to a 66 OPS+ in 356 plate appearances, Mauricio is getting a long look in September at both second and third base while the Mets look ahead to 2024.
The 22-year-old has been a top prospect in the Mets farm system since signing for $2.1 million as one of the top prospects in the 2017 international class, but he really turned a corner last offseason when he won Dominican Winter League MVP honors.
He followed that up by hitting .292/.346/.506 with 30 doubles, 23 home runs, 71 RBI, 76 runs scored and 24 steals in 116 games, and now he is making a solid case for a significant role on next year's MLB roster.
RHP Ryan Pepiot, Los Angeles Dodgers
5 of 8![LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryan Pepiot (47)] throws a pitch during the MLB game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 13, 2023 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)](https://legacymedia.sportsplatform.io/image/upload/v3obyjqpmhj7beww68vq.jpg?w=684 "LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryan Pepiot (47)] throws a pitch during the MLB game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 13, 2023 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)")
Stats: 6 G, 3 GS, 2-1, 1.91 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 3 BB, 26 K, 33.0 IP, 1.2 WAR
An oblique injury can mean a lot of different things when it comes to recovery time, and for Ryan Pepiot, it meant missing roughly four months of the 2023 season.
"It was a tough one because it was up underneath my ribs, kind of like in the intercostal as well where the oblique and intercostal connect, so it was a tough one because you can't really do any soft tissue work to get up underneath your ribs to try to alleviate," he told Doug McKain of Dodgers Dugout.
After shaking off the rust with six starts at Triple-A, Pepiot finally made his 2023 debut at the MLB level on Aug. 19 after entering spring training as one of the most MLB-ready pitching prospects in baseball and a candidate to win a rotation spot.
The 26-year-old threw seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a start against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 7, and his most recent appearance came as a bulk reliever behind opener Caleb Ferguson when he allowed five hits and one earned run in six strong innings.
Armed with a mid-90s fastball, an elite changeup and a high-spin slider, he could be part of the postseason rotation as the No. 4 starter behind Clayton Kershaw, Lance Lynn and Bobby Miller. Even if he lands in the bullpen, he could be a major X-factor in October.
SS/CF Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox
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Stats: 61 PA, 117 OPS+, .305/.328/.492, 7 XBH (2 HR), 4 RBI, 9 R, -0.1 WAR
Ceddanne Rafaela exploded onto the top-prospect scene in 2022 when he hit .299/.342/.539 with 32 doubles, 10 triples, 21 home runs and 28 steals in 116 games between High-A and Double-A.
Not bad for a guy who was signed for just $10,000 during the 2017 international free-agency window.
The 23-year-old didn't miss a beat spending a full season in the upper levels of the minors, hitting .302/.349/.520 with 31 doubles, 20 home runs and 79 RBI in 108 games before making his MLB debut on Aug. 28.
It's somewhat surprising that his defense is what has dragged down his overall value in his limited MLB action, considering he is widely regarded as one of the best defensive outfielders in the minors, with MLB.com calling him a "Gold Glove waiting to happen" while noting he won Boston's MiLB Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
With veteran Adam Duvall headed for free agency and Masataka Yoshida potentially shifting to regular DH duties if Justin Turner departs, there's a path for him to win a starting job in the outfield next spring.
2B Davis Schneider, Toronto Blue Jays
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Stats: 130 PA, 179 OPS+, .280/.408/.617, 19 XBH (8 HR), 20 RBI, 21 R, 1.9 WAR
Davis Schneider made his MLB debut on Aug. 4 and went 9-for-13 with two home runs and five RBI in his first three games, immediately securing a spot in the everyday lineup while bouncing between second base, third base, left field and designated hitter.
A 28th-round pick in the 2017 draft, he spent three seasons in rookie ball before finally starting to climb the ladder on the other side of a lost 2020 season.
After posting an .823 OPS with 42 extra-base hits over three levels during a breakout 2022 campaign, he hit .275/.416/.553 with 21 doubles, 21 home runs and 64 RBI in 87 games at Triple-A this year before finally earning the call.
Now the bad news.
The 24-year-old is 0-for-26 with 11 strikeouts in his last seven games, so while his overall numbers still look great and he has put himself on the map, he's not ending the regular season on a high note.
LHP Jordan Wicks, Chicago Cubs
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Stats: 5 GS, 3-1, 2.67 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 9 BB, 20 K, 27.0 IP, 0.9 WAR
When Marcus Stroman landed on the injured list in late August, the initial assumption was that Drew Smyly would return to the rotation after being moved to the bullpen, but instead the Cubs decided to give Jordan Wicks a look.
The No. 21 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Wicks was one of college baseball's best pitchers that spring at Kansas State, posting a 3.70 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 92.1 innings and showing some of the best polish in the draft class.
"Wicks works with little effort, easily repeating his delivery and pounding the strike zone while working both sides of the plate. In addition to his stuff and command, he earns praise for his competitiveness and inventiveness on the mound," MLB.com wrote in his pre-draft scouting report, while also noting he possessed the best changeup in the entire draft class.
The 24-year-old went 7-0 with a 3.55 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 91.2 innings over 20 starts between Double-A and Triple-A this season before earning his first call-up, and if his first five starts in the majors are any indication, he might be up for good.
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