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Well, we've reached September. With September 1st comes the expansion to the 40-man rosters for major league teams, and with it a large number of players joining their respective big league clubs. While a lot of the players coming up aren't likely to have any impact for fantasy owners, there are a few who can potentially help swing leagues.
Hopefully your teams are still in the hunt for either a playoff spot or a championship. These last critical games can make or break your team's chances, so let's dive right in and see who could be available if you need help in certain categories.
Nick Castellanos (3B/OF - DET) - Lynn Henning of the Detroit News reported that Castellanos will be called up for Sunday's game against Cleveland, and while he won't likely play everyday, I could see him getting a few games a week out in left field. While he isn't a guarantee to hit for a high average, he has shown the ability to get hot for an extended period of time (.361/.441/.583, 5 HR in June), and could qualify at 3B in some leagues to start out with.
Can Potentially Help You With: Batting Average, Power
Billy Hamilton (OF - CIN) - We've been waiting for the speedster to arrive, and I wrote about what he could provide even in limited playing time a few weeks ago. I grabbed him in a daily league where I plan to start him whenever he gets into the Reds' lineup, as I think he can still provide 8-10 stolen bases before the end of the season in limited playing time.
Can Potentially Help You With: Stolen Bases, Runs
Jose Ramirez (2B-CLE) - The general profile on Ramirez would lead you to think of Astros' 2B Jose Altuve. He's an undersized middle infielder who makes a lot of good contact, but doesn't necessarily hit for very much power, and provides some decent speed. I don't know if he gets a ton of playing time with both Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera in the lineup consistently, but he has played 2B, SS, and 3B this year, and could potentially see 2-3 games a week across the diamond. He finished his minor league season with 38 stolen bases, so he's a nice flier for speed-only plays. I would probably limit his use to really deep leagues, especially AL-only given the lack of consistent playing time.
Can Potentially Help You With: Batting Average, Stolen Bases, Runs
Jim Adduci (OF-TEX) - Adduci doesn't have nearly the pedigree of the first two players, but he did hit 16 home runs and steal 32 bases at AAA Round Rock while hitting .298. I can see him getting a few starts a week in the outfield, as he can play all three outfield positions. He's definitely a deep league only play, but 2-3 home runs with 3-5 stolen bases and a reasonable average wouldn't surprise me here.
Can Potentially Help You With: Batting Average, Stolen Bases, Home Runs
Tom Wilhelmsen (RP-SEA) - Wilhelmsen is returning to the Majors, although it will not be to the closer's role, as Danny Farquhar has nailed down the role at this point. I can see him still providing decent value in ratios and a solid strikeout rate though.
Can Potentially Help You With: Strikeouts
There are a number of teams which have not divulged their September callups, if any, but I could see some of these players getting that call as well:
Tyler Skaggs, Chris Owings, David Holmberg (ARI)
Michael Choice (OAK)
Gary Brown, Heath Hembree (SF)
Jonathan Schoop (BAL)
We're likely to see a few more as teams are eliminated from playoff runs with AA and AAA, but many of them won't be up for at least another week.