Top 5 call-up candidates for Dodgers' expanded September rosters

It's getting near the end of August, which means that it is truly getting close to the home stretch of the season. However, the start of September also brings another important change to the field: expanded rosters. All MLB rosters are required to carry 28 players in September, up from the minimum of 25 and maximum of 26 throughout the rest of the season. This will be especially important for the Dodgers, who have amazing organizational depth that is waiting to be tested at the big-league level.

Gone are the days of 40-man September rosters down the stretch, but this season's roster expansion can still help the Dodgers' depth at a crucial juncture.

Many players who are called up in September this season will likely be familiar faces, but the possibility of guys getting their first look at the majors also remains. The Dodgers' needs have shifted greatly at different points of the season, but now that the trade deadline has passed and the Dodgers' acquisitions have played more, the identity of the 2023 Dodgers is clearer than it was just a few weeks ago. That makes it easier to tell which players from the minor leagues will be able to fit into the MLB roster and make an impact in September.

Dodgers players who could be called up Sept. 1

No. 5: Gavin Stone

Stone is easily the second most MLB-ready prospect of the Dodgers' top five prospects (second to Michael Busch), and would be viewed as a no-brainer for a September roster spot, especially after he was promoted to pitch Sunday at Fenway, then demoted again for an active arm.

He is not quite viewed kindly by many fans at the moment because of his major-league appearances this year. Prior to Sunday's outing, Stone had allowed 17 earned runs in 12 innings pitched this season. He's been trending up, though, following a relief appearance against Pittsburgh on July 4, which was his best in the majors. Stone pitched around five hits (all singles) and a walk with three strikeouts over two innings pitched, but also managed to limit the damage on his line to just one earned run. He then threw six solid innings of bulk in Beantown to win the Dodgers' weekend series, allowing back-to-back homers in the eighth to tarnish his line slightly.

After giving up four earned runs or more in his other three MLB starts in 2023 (all of which lasted four innings or less), this most recent appearance was a great sign for a possible turnaround by Stone.

Stone's Triple-A ERA climbed to 6.71 in his final start of June, but since then, he has been much better. He posted a 3.43 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 21 innings (four starts) in July, and continued that momentum into August. So far, Stone has a 2.25 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 20 innings (three starts, one relief appearance), and while Stone's walk rate is still a little high (4.5 BB/9 in August), his WHIP is down to 1.00 this month after he posted a strong 1.05 WHIP in July as well. Stone might have found his groove, and it's possible the Dodgers lean on that and bring him up in September to help keep the innings of the regular starters down.

No. 4: Miguel Vargas

You might assume that Vargas would be way higher on this list, given that he has been in the majors through the majority of the season, but like many Dodgers position-playing prospects, it is hard to find a spot that fits Vargas. The Dodgers' trade deadline moves made it even tougher to accommodate him. The additions of Amed Rosario and Kiké Hernández have decreased the amount of available playing time for middle infielders (although Kiké can always play anywhere on the field), as well as the emergence of Mookie Betts playing second base more often. Regardless of the congestion at Vargas' primary MLB position in 2023, he could force his way back onto the roster if he continues to play well at Triple-A.

Of course, Vargas struggled at the end of his tenure with Los Angeles, posting a .149 AVG and .570 OPS across 67 ABs in June, and a .133 AVG and .533 OPS in 15 ABs at the beginning of July, but he has been good since being sent down to Triple-A. Vargas has a .301/.405/.473 slash line, good enough for an .878 OPS. However, his power numbers are slightly down from where they were last year at Triple-A, and when you mix that combination with a very high strikeout rate (26.0%) and the lack of positions open in the infield for the Dodgers, it becomes a lot harder to envision Vargas being called back up, barring an injury to Rosario or Miguel Rojas.

No. 3: Emmet Sheehan

Sheehan had some inconsistency issues at the MLB level, but definitely did show flashes of why he could become a quality MLB starting pitcher in the future. Sheehan's stint with the Dodgers started off with six no-hit innings against the Giants, and although he gave up two home runs in his next start against the Astros, both homers were solo shots and ended up being the only runs he surrendered. The Rockies scored three runs against him in five innings at Coors Field (but it is Coors Field, after all), meaning that his first three starts with the Dodgers ended with 17 innings pitched, a 2.65 ERA and 12 strikeouts. Then, things went south for Sheehan, as his ERA climbed in three consecutive starts. He gave up five, four and eight earned runs to Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Texas, respectively.

Sheehan was better in his final two starts in the majors, however, pitching five shutout innings against the Reds, where he struck out five and gave up just two hits, and following that up with four innings against the A's where the only blemishes were two solo homers, just like his start against the Astros.

Sheehan was optioned to Triple-A as the Dodgers made room for both Lance Lynn and Clayton Kershaw (who was returning from the IL soon after Sheehan's last appearance). In his first Triple-A appearance, Sheehan fanned six, while his only earned run allowed was a solo homer over the course of four innings (sound familiar?). In his next outing, he gave up just one walk and one hit, striking out five in four scoreless innings.

No. 1: Ryan Pepiot

Pepiot has been used as the Dodgers' 27th man for both of the team's doubleheaders over the course of the last week, and it is almost like those doubleheader rosters are a sign of things to come. Pepiot was supposed to be a part of the pitching staff on Opening Day as well, but an injury landed him on the 60-day IL and he had stayed there until a recent return. First, Pepiot made six appearances in Triple-A. In his first three starts, Pepiot posted a 7.88 ERA after giving up seven runs on 12 hits and three home runs in 12 innings. But then, just like he did in 2022 in the majors, Pepiot made the necessary adjustments and posted three strong outings.

After those three subpar outings, Pepiot gave up one earned run on a solo homer in four innings pitched in his first outing in August. He gave up two more earned runs in four innings in his next start, but then Pepiot put it all together when he took perfect game into the 7th inning, striking out 11 batters in 6.2 innings of one-hit baseball.

Pepiot has been used as the 27th man for the Dodgers' two doubleheaders in the last week (how often does that happen to LA!?), accumulating nine innings across two appearances. He allowed just two earned runs on six hits, striking out 11 batters. Now, it looks as though Pepiot will be named the 27th man on the Dodgers roster once again, although this time around, the move will stick for more than just the day of a doubleheader.