The end of Major League Baseball’s season wouldn’t seem like a happening time for debuts, especially not in the age of the 28-player expanded roster. Yet the past week or so has seen a fair share of notable call-ups. Among them: Kumar Rocker (Rangers), Luisangel Acuña (Mets), Thomas Saggese (Cardinals), and Seth Johnson (Phillies). It would be within reason, then, to assume that a few more are coming down the pipe.
There are various benefits to bringing up a player this late in the season. For the player, this is an opportunity to get acclimated to the big-league life and the increased level of competition — it’s like receiving the next grade’s reading list on the final day of school. As for the teams themselves, they don’t have to worry about a move now having meaningful service-time implications. Oh, and if the team is out of contention, they can give their fans a reason to pay attention through the final out of the final game.
With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports decided to highlight five players who could — and we stress could — make their way to The Show before the last train leaves the station. This exercise is more of an art than a science, so bear that in mind.
Let’s get to it. (Do note the players are presented in alphabetical order.)
The Red Sox are in that awkward position where they’re still alive in the playoff race, but only until they have another bad series. At that point, the Red Sox might decide it’s worth looking forward to the future. If and when Boston’s front office does that, they’ll have plenty of options to promote to the big-league roster. Chief among the talented players stationed in Worcester is outfielder Roman Anthony.
It appears unlikely that the Cubs will choose to play Shaw (or any other player just mentioned) at the cold corner, indicating that there may be other roster moves in the works, possibly involving Hoerner. However, Shaw is a versatile player with a range of skills, making him a valuable asset to the team. As the Cubs approach the end of the season and are no longer in playoff contention, they could use this time to help Shaw adjust to the level of play he is expected to maintain for the majority of the 2025 season.