5 MLB prospects who could be called up in September

It’s already been a month since the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, (July 17-19), and a little over two weeks since the MLB Trade Deadline (August 2nd). As you may know, with that comes frequent shifting and changes across the Majors and Minor Leagues. In fact, just this week we’ve seen the New York Mets call-up prospect Brett Baty, the Oakland Athletics called up Shea Langeliers, Estevan Florial was called up by the New York Yankees, and the Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Roansy Contreras.

In addition to that, you add in some of the new prospects brought in from the draft like Jackson Holliday, Brooks Lee, and Elijah Green, and you’ve got quite the shake up in the minors. In the midst of all of these alterations, some young up-and-coming prospects have been making some noise in the minors and could receive a call-up fairly soon to the show.

In just a couple of weeks (September 1), MLB teams will expand their rosters from 26 players to 28. That will allow some prospects to receive the call to the show within the next couple of weeks.

Here are my five MLB prospects who could be called up next.

Gabriel Moreno, Catcher (Blue Jays)

On the season, Gabriel Moreno is hitting .299/.369/.391 with 29 RBI in 206 plate appearances. He briefly appeared in the majors earlier this season, averaging .276/.300/.293 in 18 appearances. For Triple-A Buffalo, Moreno has struggled to show consistency at the plate. The right-handed catcher has hit just two home runs and posted a .391 slugging percentage in 49 games.

Perhaps, his struggles at the plate could be credited to some right thumb soreness that has recently sidelined him.

Currently, there is no timetable for his return, but as the Blue Jays continue to pursue the AL East pennant or an AL Wild Card spot, catcher is a huge liability at the moment. Danny Jansen has been filling the void the past few games, but as soon as Moreno is back, he will likely spend a game or two with Triple-A to rehab, and the 22-year-old prospect will find himself in the lineup for the Blue Jays.

Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B Baltimore Orioles

One of the most stirring storylines throughout this season has been the unprecedented resurgence of the Baltimore Orioles. Currently, they find themselves in the middle of a six-team battle for the AL Wild Card spots. Many would say the May 21 call-up of top prospect Adley Rutschman sparked the run. The O’s were just 16-24 at that point prior to Rutschman’s call-up. Since then, Baltimore is 43-31 and have transformed themselves from rebuilder to contender.

With that being said, it may be time for another prospect to call-up — Gunnar Henderson. He was the 42nd overall pick just three years ago in the 2019 MLB Draft. Simply put, Henderson has been tearing it up and having a phenomenal season, hitting .301 with 18 home runs and 18 stolen bases in 99 games (split between Double-A and Triple-A).

When it comes to his play in Triple-A, he has continued to be aggressive at the plate averaging .293, and has hit 10 homers. At just 21 years old, Henderson appears to be ready for the big stage and we could likely see him replace Jorge Mateo at shortstop in the near future.

Triston Casas, 1B Boston Red Sox

A lot of people will say this is recency bias, due to Triston Casas’ stellar performance on Wednesday as he drove in all of the runs for the Triple-A WooSox in their 2-1 victory over the Rochester Red Wings. Most noteworthy, Casas hit a walk-off single off the right-field wall to send home teammate Connor Wong for the game-winning run.

Now, Casas doesn’t have the most exhilarating stat-line in the world. In fact, in 59 games in Triple-A, Casas is batting .254 with just nine home runs and 32 RBI. But, since returning on July 22 from an ankle injury that sidelined him for over two months, Casas has been seeing a beach ball at the plate and has turned things completely around.

If the Red Sox call him up after the 22, he’ll retain his rookie eligibility next season. Whether it’s this week, next week, or next year, Casas is on the way.

Taj Bradley, RHP Tampa Bay Rays

Just three weeks ago, Taj Bradley made his debut for the Triple-A Durham team and became the youngest pitcher to start a Triple-A game in 2022. Right out of the gate, Bradley showed the world why he is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and on the mound.

In five games, Bradley has a 1-3 record and 4.50 ERA, but there’s a club that could find a way to take advantage of his plus fastball and underappreciated cutter without leaving him vulnerable, and it’s in Tampa Bay. At this point, the biggest strength of the Rays is playing matchup with their best arms in their rotation. This 21-year-old right-hander certainly fits right in when it comes to his command on the mound.

It’s a situation that has no negative effect if you give Bradley the promotion to the big leagues. It could very well be what solidifies a AL Wild-Card spot for Tampa Bay.