It’s almost September 1st. That means Major League rosters expand and the “September Call-Ups” take place. The Atlanta Braves are in a position, for the first time in a while, to get some meaningful use out of some extra arms and legs.
September 1st is a benchmark of sorts. For the Atlanta Braves, there has already been plenty of speculation as to whom will make the leap into the Braves clubhouse at SunTrust Park. I am fairly certain that we’ve seen pretty much everyone who will make the jump in a few days. However, there are arguments for a few others.
First, let’s go over the September roster expansions. We all know that there is a 25-man “active” roster and a 40-man roster. Basically, what this means is that everyone on the 40-man is now effectively “active” and can suit up. It rarely happens that all 40 spots are utilized by teams, but it’s not out of the ordinary for teams to carry over 30 in September.
As such, trades can still be made in September too. Although, the “deadline” in the August waiver trade “deadline” refers to the cutoff for teams to make those acquired via trade eligible for their post-season roster. So, if a deal is made, but not official until 1 September, that player can’t be added to the post-season roster, even if he’s added to the 40-man roster. That’s why we don’t have many trades for teams with post-season hopes after 31 August.
How does this affect the proverbial “clock”? I’m glad you asked.
Well, in terms of days spent on the roster, you can throw that out. Call-ups next month won’t incur a penalty for spending time on the roster once September 1st comes. However, any and all appearances will count toward the exceeding of rookie limits. So, say for instance Kyle Wright gets the call on 1 September, his roster days won’t be affected, but if he pitches more than 50 innings, he’ll lose his rookie status for 2019. The same applies for position players as well, where 130 at-bats (not plate appearances) is the threshold.
With sights set on a pennant and playoff push, I suspect the Braves will add some much-needed reinforcements come 1 September.