Pittsburgh Pirates: Potential September Call-Ups

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Who are some potential predictions for September call ups for the Pittsburgh Pirates?

The final month of the 2023 season is nearly upon us. When September hits, Major League rosters will expand to 28 players. The Pittsburgh Pirates will likely call-up at least one notable prospect. However, I want to make a prediction on who will get called up once the Pirates (and all teams for that matter) get their two extra roster spots, and other potential names to watch as we head into the final week of August.

I think Jackson Wolf is a safe bet to get promoted. Acquired in the Rich Hill/Ji-Man Choi swap, Wolf has been a good pitcher at the Double-A level. In 106.1 innings split between the Pirates’ and Padres’ Double-A affiliates, Wolf owns a 3.86 ERA, 3.75 FIP, and 1.05 WHIP. Opponents are hitting just .215 against him while striking out 29.2% of the time, and drawing very few walks (6.6% walk rate). The one knock on Wolf is his 1.1 HR/9, which still isn’t all that bad.

There are a few reasons why I think Wolf is the safest bet to get sent to the Major Leagues, despite not playing any games at Triple-A. The first reason is he's already on the 40-man roster, so the Pirates wouldn't need to DFA or release anyone to promote him. My second reason is because he's already 24. The third reason is that he already has made his Major League debut. The Padres started him for one game before optioning him back to Double-A.

Roansy Contreras

The second player I see the Pirates calling up is Roansy Contreras. Contreras struggled at the start of the season after what was a successful rookie campaign. Through Contreras’ first 68.1 innings of the year, he had a 6.59 ERA, 5.20 FIP, and 1.57 WHIP. He struggled so bad in May, that the Pirates demoted him to the bullpen, before eventually having to send him to the minor leagues to figure some things out.

Since getting optioned to the minor leagues, he hasn't done all that bad. In 18 innings, Contreras has allowed just five earned runs while striking out, but walking six and allowing three home runs. It’s a small sample size, however, and in two of Contreras’ minor league starts, he didn’t walk a single batter.

I feel that both Contreras and Wolf will be some of the first two to get considered because the Pirates need starting pitcher pronto. They really only have two starting pitchers, and are using Bailey Falter as a piggy-back starter. Getting another arm in the Major Leagues in the home stretch, even if the Pirates are out of contention, is something they need to do just so the bullpen isn’t being taxed so often.

Aside from Contreras and Wolf, there are some others I think you should at least keep in mind. Max Kranick is back in action, and I already wrote a piece on him. He’s another guy to keep in mind. Quinn Priester, Jared Triolo, and Nick Gonzales are others to keep on the back burner. If the Pirates call-up any of their top 100 prospects, it will be Jared Jones given he is at Triple-A. A position player to keep tabs on is first baseman Malcolm Nuñez since the Pirates’ 1B depth is thin as well.

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