September call-ups in baseball aren't what they used to be. In the past, teams would call up most of their 40-man rosters, creating full dugouts and lots of guys who'd get their only major league service time and appearances.
Now, cost-conscious and service-time-conscious teams call up only a few players in the final month, often leaving major prospects in the minors rather than adding them to the 40-man roster before it's necessary or risking injury in a meaningless game.
If a prospect is truly ready and the team intends to recall him, the club won't necessarily wait for roster expansion, either. The Dodgers' Will Smith has been up since mid-July, Bo Bichette has been up with the Blue Jays since the end of July and Mitch Keller's third stint with the Pirates began in early August. We did see three midseason top-50 prospects recalled this week, with several more potential top 100 guys already recalled, so it's a better crop than we've had the past few years.
Here's look at some call-ups to watch: