Until a few years ago, major league teams could add as many as 15 (!!) players to their major league rosters on Sept. 1, filling their dugouts and clubhouses with journeymen, role players and prospects for the final four or so weeks of the regular season.
The whole thing got out of hand, with more than a dozen relievers of every stripe overcrowding bullpens, available for every potential matchup. But the inherent inequity -- you could have a game in which one team had, say 33 available players while the other had 38 -- eventually resulted in a rule change.
Now, teams played from Opening Day through Aug. 31 with 26 players and get to add.....two players on Sept. 1. Two.
This season, the Red Sox would dearly love to turn back the clock and have things the way they used to be. Then, they could spend the next 30 or so games evaluating some of their young players at the big league level, giving them a head start on acclimating to the big leagues.
Instead, the Sox, like the other 29 teams, will have to be judicious with their promotions. It's a given that of the two call-ups, one will be a pitcher, since, improbably in today's game, a mere 13 pitchers are too few. (Otherwise, why would you see record-setting numbers of position players being pressed into mound duty in the ninth inning on a regular basis?).
Since Alex Cora has said the team's rotation will remain intact -- at least for now -- we can deduce that the pitcher will be a reliever. It may even be someone like Tyler Danish, who has been on the IL for almost two months -- first with a forearm strain and then with a bout with COVID. Danish isn't a game changer, of course. He was a nice story in the spring when he made the Sox as a surprise bullpen piece and he pitched relatively well for a while before his performance leveled off -- as you might expect from a 27-year-old who had only 11 games of previous big league experience.
Frank German, acquired in the Adam Ottavino trade after the 2020 season, is throwing the ball extremely well, but isn't yet on the team's 40-man roster, so it's more likely the Sox use the extra pitcher spot on someone who could fill innings and lighten the load for the team's high-leverage relievers.
The position player is more intriguing, because the Sox have a couple of options. They could, of course, use this opportunity to promote Triston Casas, who hit .333 for the month of August after missing almost two months with a high ankle sprain. Casas is the team's top-rated position player prospect in the upper levels of the system and is considered the team's first baseman of the future.
With Eric Hosmer sidelined with back spasms, there could be some playing time for Casas. Bobby Dalbec got the start at first base Wedneday night and struck out in each of his four at-bats. Franchy Cordero has four homers in his last eight games, but remains streaky and flawed.
Giving Casas regular playing time, at least until Hosmer is healthy, would be a good opportunity for him to ease him into things and leave him that much more prepared for next spring, when he'll be competing for a spot on the roster to start the 2023 season.
But a case could also be made for Connor Wong to get the call. Acquired in the Mookie Betts trade, Wong is coming off a torrid stretch at Worcester that suggests he shouldn't be counted out after all when it comes to projecting his future in the organization.
Having dealt veteran catcher Christian Vazquez at the deadline, the Red Sox have a blank slate behind the plate for next season. Kevin Plawecki is a free agent to be, and while a case could be made to bring him back for the backup role, the Sox also now have Reese McGuire under control for several more seasons. McGuire is far superior to Plawecki when it comes to shutting down the running game, and as an unexpected bonus, has performed much better offensively than anticipated since being obtained at the deadline.
Somewhere, the Sox need someone to either platoon with McGuire or to take the No. 1 spot. Now would be a good time to see if Wong can fill either of those roles.
Wong has always been viewed as an athletic catcher with average arm strength. But lately, he's been pounding the baseball, suggesting that he could be turning into more of an offensive threat. In his last 16 games, he's hit .379 with nine doubles and 22 RBI in his last 16 games.
Playing Plawecki much more down the stretch serves little purpose for the Sox. But getting an extended look at Wong and seeing him against major league competition could answer some questions for the Sox as they head into what will be a tumultuous offseason.
On Wednesday, Alex Cora hinted that the Sox might flex out their two extra spots in the final five weeks. That would enable them to get looks at both Casas and Wong, if only in smaller doses.
Anything the Sox can do in the final five weeks to begin to turn the page on 2022 should be done. The faster they turn their attention to next year, the better off they'll be.