As the calendar turns into September, teams are quickly expanding their rosters.  In the old days, this meant the arrival of young, hot prospects.  Teams wanted to give their best young players a low impact introductory to the game so that when April rolled around, they were ready to go.  However, teams rarely do that anymore because every game played in the Major Leagues uses up valuable service time and teams don’t want to waste it on usually meaningless games in September.

That said, there are still players being promoted and some that will help their teams and your respective fantasy teams.  We have listed several of them here with more to come next week as the minor league season wrap up tomorrow.

Enjoy the list and please click on the baseball card to visit our partner amazon.com to explore additional information on each player.

Seth Brown, 1B, OAK (CBS: 7% owned)

Called up August 26, Brown has been tearing it up going 11-for-25 with 7 RBI and six runs scored. Surprisingly he has yet to hit one out of the park. Based on the 37 homers he mashed at Triple-A Las Vegas, the homers will come.

Mauricio Dubon, SS, SF (CBS: 5% owned)

In a surprising move, the Giants released Scooter Gennett last week and called up Dubon. Now that the playing time issues have been resolved, the Giants will be looking to give Dubon an audition for 2020.  The fact that he hit 20 homers, swiped ten bases and put together a solid .345 OBP this year down on the farm, bodes well for his chances to succeed.

Robert Dugger, SP, MIA (CBS: unowned)

Dugger posted a solid 3.31 ERA at Double-A, struggled at Triple-A, but none-the-less got the call last week filling in for the injured Jordan Yamamoto. He held the Reds to two unearned runs over seven innings, while only allowing three hits one walk, tossing in seven strikeouts for good measure. Keep him on your radar as a potential streaming option in September.

Robinson Cano, 2B, NYM (CBS: 37% owned)

Cano was just starting to heat up and then blew out a hammy. The original time frame for a return was fairly lengthy, but he’s now completed a successful rehab game and looks to be ready to roll. For those looking for a Keston Hiura replacement, Cano is scheduled to be activated off of the IL this coming Tuesday.

Jake Cave, OF, MIN (CBS: 6% owned)

Byron Buxton had a setback earlier this week and currently doesn’t have a timetable for a return. Max Kepler is dealing with a sore knee. In the interim, Cave should see fairly regular at-bats and has the potential to provide a boost to your Fantasy squad in both the power and speed categories.

Mike Ford, 1B, NYY (CBS: 4% owned)

Another one of those extra parts that have been huge in contributing to a team decimated by injuries. The playing time could and most likely will be a concern moving forward, but with four homers in his past five games, it sure isn’t right now.

Clint Frazier, OF, NYY (CBS: 28% owned)

After being buried and passed over in promotions since the mid-June demotion, we have a Frazier sighting.  He has been called up and is starting at DH today. There are plenty of mouths to feed in New York, but any return to the form that saw him hit 11 homers earlier in the season, and the Yankees will find him the at-bats.

Sam Hilliard, OF, COL (CBS: 9% owned)

When you hit 35 homers and drive in 101 runs it’s impressive, even at Triple-A Albuquerque. He’s proving it to be no fluke by mashing two bombs in his first four starts for the Rockies. David Dahl has yet to resume running and is tentatively looking at a mid-September return. In the meantime, Hilliard as a replacement is looking anything but tentative.

Matt Magill, RP, SEA (CBS: 23% owned)

Since getting that first save on August 17 against the Jays, Magill has added three more to his resume. He has been prone to the odd meltdown, as was witnessed last night against the Rangers, but should be the primary go-to guy in the ninth for the M’s moving forward.

Sean Manaea, SP, OAK (CBS: 43% owned)

It has been more than a year since the 27-year-old southpaw last tossed a game in the bigs, but the rehab is done and he will be making his 2019 debut today against the Yankees. In 36 1/3 IP over eight rehab starts, Manaea posted a very strong 53/10 K/BB ratio. He’s definitely worthy of a dart toss in the hope that he pitches meaningful innings in September.

Sean Murphy, C, OAK (CBS: 8% owned)

One of the top catching prospects in the game, Murphy saw his season derailed when he tore his left meniscus at the beginning of May. Now healthy, he has gotten the call and of note should be the 10 homers he hit in 31 games down on the farm. Josh Phegley and Chris Herrmann aren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball, so a steady diet of at-bats could be in order in September.

Sheldon Neuse, 3B, OAK (CBS: 3% owned)

He hit a ton down on the farm, mashing 27 long balls, but again it was Las Vegas. Take that power with a grain of salt. He should see at least some at-bats in September but is best left for AL-only formats where even limited at-bats count.

Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, KC (CBS: 11% owned)

I was bullish on Ryan O’Hearn heading into 2019 but he simply didn’t deliver and was dispatched to Triple-A mid-June, returning at the end of July. He’s finally showing some life, hitting three homers in the past week and should see a steady diet of at-bats through September.

Ronny Rodriguez, 1B/2B/SS, DET (CBS: 4% owned)

Ronny Rodriguez is starting to show some life, with three homers in his past two games. The fact that he carries eligibility all over the infield, makes him an intriguing option in deeper formats.

Devin Smeltzer, SP, MIN (CBS: 8% owned)

It would appear that the Twins will be turning to Devin Smeltzer to fill the void created by Kyle Gibson heading to the 10-day IL with ulcerative colitis. In the event that Smeltzer struggles, the Twins have also called up both Lewis Thorpe (2% owned) and flame-throwing Brusdar Graterol (9% owned) and could look to either or both in an “opener” type role.

Trevor Williams, SP, PIT (CBS: 44% owned)

It has been an up and down season, mostly down…but the past two starts against Cincinnati and on the road in Colorado have produced two victories with only a  total of three earned runs. Watch the matchups, but as a streaming option, he should be on your radar.

Bradley Zimmer, OF, CLE (CBS: 4% owned)

Zimmer has now moved his rehab to Triple-A where he has gone 5-for-18 with a pair of stolen bases. A September callup is likely in order, and the stolen base potential should be noted.

Ben Zobrist, 2B/OF, CHC (CBS: 6% owned)

Joe Maddon simply loves this guy, and with that in mind, you know even with the lengthy layoff, Zobrist will find his way into at-bats in Chicago and very likely at the top-of-the-order.