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          Top MLB prospects who could help contenders

          Right-handed pitching prospect Lucas Giolito, who has a 2.71 ERA at Double-A Harrisburg, appears ready to help the Nationals. Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports
          • Keith Law, ESPN Senior WriterJun 21, 2016, 08:50 AM ET
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            • Senior baseball analyst for Insider
            • Was special asst. to Blue Jays GM
            • Wrote for Baseball Prospectus
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          I'm often asked questions by readers that I can't answer, such as when prospect so-and-so is coming to the majors, but what I can do is discuss which call-ups might make sense for the club and player in question. I've discussed many times the sheer absurdity of the Washington Nationals' starting Danny Espinosa, a below replacement-level hitter even with the artificial juice of seven intentional walks and a few more semi-intentional ones, over Trea Turner, who is hitting .292/.363/.432 in Triple-A with 21 steals in 21 attempts, as they try to win the NL East. Here are a few other potential summer call-ups, with my thoughts on what they might do to help -- or in one case, perhaps not help -- current contenders.

          lastname

          Lucas Giolito, SP
          Could replace: Gio Gonzalez
          Washington Nationals

          Giolito's mechanics are back to where they should have been all along, and he's rolling again; he has 27 strikeouts and just three walks in his past 18 innings, with his usual plus velocity and knockout breaking ball. I named him the best prospect in baseball last month, knowing he'd get back to where he was to end 2015, and he has only confirmed that in recent outings.

          Of course, there's no room at the inn right now in Washington, with the Nationals' five starters all throwing well, really well or at a Stephen Strasburg level. You could make an argument – an academic one, at least – that Max Scherzer has been only their fourth-best starter, thanks to all those home runs he has given up, though he's missing so many bats that it's a silly distinction to make.

          Gio Gonzalez is the one subpar performer this year. His peripherals are fine, but his velocity is off, and he has been a disaster working from the stretch, as he has allowed a .305/.356/.397 line with men on base and a fantastical .419/.473/.597 line with RISP. That's unsustainable in two ways: He's allowing a .500 BABIP with runners in scoring position, and no team will allow a pitcher to keep doing that for long without taking away his job. I would not, in any way, suggest replacing Gonzalez with Giolito right now, but if a spot for the top prospect opens in Washington later this year, my guess would be that it would be Gonzalez's.

          lastnameJoey Gallo, 3B/1B
          Could replace: Mitch Moreland
          Texas Rangers