Chicago White Sox: 3 players to call up in September

The Chicago White Sox have had no shortage of unsung heroes this season. Injuries have forced guys to step up across the 40-man roster. Yermín Mercedes took the league by storm in April, Jake Burger became a fan favorite in July and Gavin Sheets was a walk-off hero by the end of the month.

Unfortunately, there are only so many spots on the roster so most of those guys find themselves down on the Triple-A roster in Charlotte. But with September around the corner, the roster will expand from 26 to 28 allowing two players to resume their big league dream.

The old expanded roster rules meant that MLB teams could drastically increase the size of their roster towards the end of the season. Up to 15 extra players could be joining the big league club. The result was lots of pitching changes and versatile rosters throughout the major leagues.

Under the new rules put in place, the White Sox front office will have some difficult decisions on their hands regarding who should get called up. Traditionally teams like to call up pitchers to help save the bullpen but there are plenty of position players that could give the team a boost.

The Chicago White Sox has some good players to call up in September.

The White Sox still have a left-handed power bat in Gavin Sheets as well as infield depth in Jake Burger waiting in the minors. Rookie sensation Yermín Mercedes is also waiting for his chance to join the big league club again. Matt Foster has bounced up and down from the big league club perhaps he gets another shot. There is also room for left-handed reliever Jace Fry.

Whatever route Rick Hahn and company decide to go, the decision on who to call up is not going to be an easy one. Here are three players that could make an impact in September:

Gavin Sheets

Gavin Sheets would provide really nice bench power for the Chicago White Sox.

Gavin Sheets has baseball in his blood. His father Larry Sheets was a former big leaguer with the Baltimore Orioles. Sheets made his dad proud when he was called up. The 6-5 left-hander tapped into his power and launched six home runs in 29 games with the White Sox. Sheets contributed to the lineup right of the bat.

He singled on the second pitch he saw during his first career at-bat. In the third inning, he notched his first career RBI and tied the game. Later, he hit an RBI double making him the first White Sox player since Craig Wilson to have multiple hits and RBIs in his Major League debut.

He followed that up the night by hitting his first career home run. Sheets had a knack for big home runs. He hit a home run while playing in front of a collection of his hometown family and friends in Baltimore. On July 19th, he thrilled the Chicago fans with a walk-off home run to complete a come-from-behind win over the Twins.

The White Sox couldn’t ask much more of Sheets who had 16 RBIs and a .776 OPS. His production hasn’t dropped in Charlotte either. While in the minors, he is hitting .300/.360/.515. Sheets is a nice left-handed power bat that can come off the bench in September. In a White Sox lineup full of righties, it is nice to balance out the lineup with some more lefties that hit for power.

Yermin Mercedes

Yermin Mercedes would love to have another opportunity with Yermin Mercedes.

Yermín Mercedes has been acting a bit strange lately. First, he threatened to retire from baseball. then he posted a message on Instagram that hinted he was thinking about playing in Japan. However, the off-field antics don’t take away from everything he did for the White Sox.

When Eloy Jimenez went down with an injury, the White Sox needed someone to step up and fill his role. Mercedes took the opportunity and ran with it. He won AL Rookie of the Month after his historic start to the season. Mercedes opened the season going 8-for-8 then finished the month slashing .415/.455/.659.

Mercedes took the league by storm. He got a burger named after him and “Yerminator” t-shirts with his face on them. Mercedes had a fall from grace and fell into a nasty 0-25 slump. He ended the hitless streak with a walk-off single against the Tigers but just when he was beginning to figure it out he got sent down to Charlotte.

The White Sox felt that Mercedes didn’t provide enough defensive versatility. With the extra roster spots in September, they won’t need Mercedes to play defense. He could be a nice option off the bench or as DH.

Despite the demotion, Mercedes continued to hit. He is hitting .288 with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs in 40 games in Triple-A. That is why it hurt so much for Mercedes to watch the White Sox call up Gavin Sheets and Seby Zavala while he was stuck in the minors. Now he chomping at the bit for another opportunity. Rick Hahn hinted that we may see Yermin again this year after he broke the news that he was being sent down. September may be what he was alluding to.