Which Yankees should get a call-up for September roster expansions?

The New York Yankees are well underway in the second half of the season, but their performance has fallen off. Despite leading the AL East by 10 games, the Bombers are playing their worst baseball of the season and are 8-15 since the All-Star break.

The good news is that rosters are set to expand in a couple of weeks, which could provide the Yankees some life.

As meaningful September baseball rolls around, pitching is the most sung about topic this time of year. The current Yankees 40-man roster includes six pitchers on the 60-day injured list. Luckily, Sept. 1 welcomes an expanded roster of up to 28 active players. Pitchers awaiting recall from the minors, such as Ron Marinaccio and Clarke Smith may receive the call.

The Yankees currently have a few other injuries to Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Harrison Bader and Matt Carpenter, so the idea of a few positional players in the expansion is crucial to depth for the pennant race.

Which Yankees call-ups could be beneficial on the September roster?

SS Oswald Peraza

The anticipation for Oswald Peraza is brewing and overflowing as we approach September. By Aug. 20, the Yankee’s No. 2 overall prospect should be called up to join the big club. Regardless of threatening the position of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Peraza can be a future starting shortstop for most other MLB clubs. With a struggling IKF, Peraza would be an excellent bat to have on stand-by. He’s been having a good with the Yankees AAA affiliate and has shown a great display of tools. He needs to translate this onto a major league field, adding offensive depth and baserunning to this playoff team.

C Josh Breaux

The Yankees are currently carrying two catchers in Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka. The other 40-man rostered catcher is Ben Rortvedt, who’s had one registered Major League season with the Minnesota Twins, but is working his way back from an injury right now. At this point, the Yankees need a reliable backup to Trevino due to Higgy’s overall struggles, and prospect Josh Breaux should be the guy. Breaux is the Yankees’ 19th-ranked prospect on the top-30 list and is expected to see the show this year. Between a split of AA and AAA this season, he’s hit .229 with a .770 OPS, 35 runs scored, 17 homers and 41 RBI across 71 games. Additionally, in 50 games behind the plate (the other 21 at DH), he’s registered a .992 fielding percentage, committing just four errors on the year with one passed ball.

RHP Clayton Beeter

The Yankees 10th-ranked prospect just came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Joey Gallo deal. Clayton Beeter was drafted in the second round by the Dodgers in the abbreviated 2020 MLB Draft. His 2022 season has been split between Double-A Tulsa and now Double-A Somerset. In 107 innings across two minor league seasons, Beeter has 174 strikeouts but a troubling 58 walks. Reaching up to 98mph on his fastball, the right-hander has good command with tail and can work the strike zone. Beeter also boasts a curveball in the low-80s with downward action. Per MLB.com, the Dodgers had Beeter ditch his slider in favor of the curve. His changeup is utilized sparingly as well. Although it’s a bit early in his career, he would be a solid arm for the Yankees to call up this September when the pennant race heats up.

These three prospects would be intriguing additions to the Yankees roster as the club approaches crunch time with a division title in their grasp. The promotions could also give advanced scouting an idea of what 2023 could entail, which will be pivotal for the future of the franchise.

DJ LeMahieu dealing with injury could force Yankees into better decisions

New York Yankees 2B DJ LeMahieu is now dealing with an injury. Might as well wrap up the season if it's anything serious ... or maybe make better decisions.