3 Nationals Players Who Deserve A September Call Up
September call ups are always a fun time for major league teams to bring up a variety of prospects or veterans to bolster their roster late in the season. Gone are the days when you were allowed to call up anyone on the 40-man roster. Now, rosters expand from 26 to 28 players.
Who from the Nationals should get the call? I have picked three players who I would like to see get some major league action this September. I will preface this by saying that as much as I would like to see some of our top prospects in the majors, I know that they probably won't be getting called up anytime this season. This article will mainly focus on Triple-A guys who are just a step away or have already had some time in the big leagues.
INF - Carter Kieboom
The first player who I would like to see is Carter Kieboom. Injuries have plagued his season yet again after sitting out all of 2022 for Tommy John Surgery. However, Kieboom has been playing pretty well as of late, with a .276 batting average in the month of August to go with a few towering home runs. I would like to see Kieboom get some time at 2nd base instead of shortstop or third. If he can get back to what he was as a prospect in 2018, he could be a valuable asset as a bench or platoon player.
Kieboom's previous struggles in the Major Leagues are still fresh in the minds of fans everywhere, but in a season where the Nationals are working to identify players who either have it or don't, this could serve as Kieboom's final audtion to be a member of the 2024 team and the future.
RHP - Jackson Rutledge
The next player who I wouldn't mind seeing with the Nats this fall is Jackson Rutledge. Rutledge has split time this year between Harrisburg and Rochester pitching to the tune of a 3.72 ERA and an 8-2 record in 20 starts. Rutledge pitched better during his time at Harrisburg but I think that getting him some big league experience prior to the end of the season would greatly benefit himself and the club. Rutledge was drafted in the first round in 2019 and is the most highly touted starter at Triple-A Rochester.
Rutledge has dealt with plenty of injuries and setbacks during his time as a pro and has struggled a bit at AAA Rochester, but he's been much better as of late and with some other pitchers tiring as the season winds down, it could be a great opportunity not only for Rutledge, but to get some other pitchers rest.
C - Drew Millas
Even though there are only two roster spots available I wanted to pick three players that I wanted to see get a promotion in case we see another demotion or DFA prior to the season winding down. This last one was close but I'm going to have to go with catcher Drew Millas. Even though Kiebert Ruiz and Riley Adams are playing great right now, I think that Millas has proven himself this season in the minors. While splitting time with Harrisburg and Rochester, Millas has batted .295 with a .399 OBP in 78 games. He has also thrown out 28 runners this season. That's more runners thrown out than Ruiz and Adams have in their 124 combined games behind the plate.
Having a third catcher on the roster would also free up Ruiz and Adams to DH more often, as the Nationals have done to much success recently. The lineup is exponentially better with both Ruiz and Adams in it, and having Millas around as insurance if you need an additional catcher helps facilitate that.
An honorable mention that I wanted to bring up is Travis Blankenhorn. Travis has spent the entire year in Triple-A and is batting .271 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI. He has been the best hitter for the Red Wings this season. Blankenhorn is somewhat of a journeyman, having spent time with the Twins and Mets major league teams and their respective minor league systems as well as short stops with the Mariners and Dodgers Triple-A affiliates.
Millas and Blankenhorn would have to be added to the 40-man roster in order to receive a call-up.
What are your thoughts? Who would you like to see get a call-up this Setpember?