We are in the dog days of summer, and this is when baseball teams' mettle truly gets tested. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, and often the best teams at the end of the season are the ones that stay healthy enough to survive. The idea behind expanded rosters in September historically was to give everyday players a bit of a reprieve by allowing some new faces to shoulder some of the late-season load. Unfortunately, as the Atlanta Braves are finding out right now, the current roster rules in place have taken a lot of the benefits out of roster expansion.
Previously, the way September roster expansion worked was that any player on the 40-man roster could be called upon to play in the final month of the season. That brought some service time and playing time issues, but it certainly gave teams a chance to give their main guys a rest. However, it also meant many teams just loaded up their rotations and bullpens, leading to a less-than-desirable product on the field as a parade of arms would come into games every night.
More recently, the rules were changed to just expand active rosters from 26 to 28 players for September, and teams were restricted to carrying just 14 pitchers. The logic behind that decision was sound, but the result has not been good, especially for teams like the Braves. Instead of being a reprieve, the current roster expansion rules diminish the practice so much that it exacerbates existing injury issues across the league and leads to forced compromises that the Braves and others feel like they have to make.
The #Braves today selected RHP Blake Burkhalter and INF Kyle Farmer to the major league roster, and transferred RHP Robert Suarez to the 60-day injured list.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 1, 2026
Braves make their expanded rosters official, but it would be great if the rules allowed for more creativity
The Braves calling up Blake Burkhalter and Kyle Farmer was already known and expected. The guys already had lockers in the Braves clubhouse on Monday. Burkhalter has looked really good out of the bullpen in Gwinnett and should deepen the Braves' relief corps. Farmer can play multiple positions and, most importantly, can serve as an emergency catcher. That last part was likely a strong consideration given that the Braves often play both Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy in the lineup.
However, it feels like the league overcorrected with their solution to the glut of players we used to see in September. Sure, teams having 20 pitchers at their disposal was a bit much, and no one wants that. That said, giving a couple of extra slots and allowing teams to carry at least 15 pitchers seems where we want to be. Otherwise, we will almost always get one extra reliever and a utility bench player instead of more exciting options like Patrick Clohisy and adding another starter.
One hopes that this issue is addressed in the next CBA, because there are just too many teams that are completely gassed at the end of the season right now. The big fight during the lockout is going to be over payroll/salary cap concerns, but it would be great if everyone could agree that giving teams a few extra roster slots at minimum would be better for everyone.
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