Predicting Dodgers' September call-ups thanks to MLB expanded rosters in 2024

We're inching toward the last full month of the season, and this September is already looking like it'll be more interesting than many previous. The top AL teams are currently duking it out to see who clinches a bye and who has to go to the Wild Card, and the last Wild Card spot in the NL could be up for grabs if the Mets surge and the Braves crumble.

The Dodgers are riding a heater thanks to their sweep of the Mariners, increasing their lead in the NL West to four games over Diamondbacks as Arizona and San Diego fight for second place entering the weekend. It's a much more comfortable place than where they were just last weekend, when their lead had dropped to two games, but they'll still need to keep their heads down and tear through September.

An expanded roster could be key here. Starting on Sept. 1, all 30 teams have to start carrying 28 players on their rosters instead of the standard 26. For the Dodgers, it represents an opportunity to get a few more players back up to the majors.

What do MLB expanded rosters look like in 2024?

Before 2020, teams could call up any member of the 40-man roster at anytime throughout September without the need for a corresponding roster move. Now, though, there's a hard cap at 28 players, and teams can't opt to carry fewer. There's also a 14-pitcher ceiling, which means the Dodgers will have to make a cut or two there.

The Dodgers currently have 13 active pitchers on the roster, not including Tyler Glasnow and Brusdar Graterol on the 15-day IL, but both are expected to be back during the regular season. Graterol can slot back into the bullpen without issue, and Bobby Miller is the clear choice for a demotion in order to make room for Glasnow. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is also a factor here if he can return during the regular season, which would bring the pitcher count to 14.

LA can also accommodate one more position player with the expanded roster, which will almost certainly be Andy Pages, who got pushed when they had to make room for Tommy Edman and Max Muncy. The Dodgers dumped Jason Heyward to make room for Chris Taylor this week, which also means that Pages will be able to come back and go into a platoon role in the outfield. Hunter Feduccia is also basically guaranteed to go back to the minors when Austin Barnes returns from the IL.

So we predict the Dodgers' expanded roster will look a lot like the one they already have, but the eventual formation of the pitching staff is contingent upon a couple of recoveries. If Yamamoto can't return, do the Dodgers bring Bobby Miller back or Brent Honeywell for the bullpen? Do they kick Walker Buehler back to the bullpen and go to a five-man rotation if Yamamoto does come back?

There are a few things still up in the air, but (outside of the rotation) the Dodgers are in a good position, and their decisions on who to add don't look like they'll be too difficult.