It’s that time of year again when major league baseball rosters will soon expand. Players from the minor leagues may be added to the parent team roster, swelling the number of bodies on the bench.

The purpose of the call-ups is to provide some flexibility with the roster, add specific skills such as pinch running, provide rest for the veterans headed to the post season, provide an opportunity for youngsters to get a taste of the real thing, and reward certain minor leaguers for their excellence during the year. We will soon be clamoring for the call-ups that we think best fit the needs of the team and our own aspirations for the kids.

It all seems so easy. Get on the phone and make travel arrangements for the minor league players we want to bolster our roster and our chances for a division title. On second glance, it is not quite as easy as we may think. The call-ups must be done within the parameters of the 40-man roster. A player not on it doesn’t get a call-up without a corresponding change on the 40-man roster. That is, a player must be removed from the roster or placed on a 60 day DL. A player on the 15 day DL remains on the 40-man roster. What does it all mean for us?

Jerry Sands and John Ely had outstanding seasons with the Isotopes and are possible September call-ups. While Sands is on the 40-man roster, Ely is not. (Photo credit – Albuquerquebaseball.com)

The Dodgers filled their lone remaining spot on the 40-man roster on Tuesday when they activated Rubby De La Rosa  from the 60 day DL. The following players are still on the 60 day DL: Ted Lilly, Matt Guerrier, Blake Hawksworth, Justin Sellers, and Todd Coffey. We expect Coffey, Sellers and Hawksworth to be out for the balance of the season. Lilly and Guerrier are both rehabbing.

Our minor league players eligible for a call-up, presently on our 40-man roster, are: Josh Wall, Chris Withrow, Stephen Fife, Tim Federowicz, Ivan De Jesus, Matt Angle, Alex Castellanos, Yasiel Puig, Jerry Sands, Alfredo Silverio, Scott Van Slyke, Elian Herrera. Our only AA player on the list is Chris Withrow while Yasiel Puig is playing at Rancho Cucamonga.

I wonder what is going through Ned’s mind. We have no open spots on the 40-man roster and two pitchers rehabbing. Two players must be dropped from the current 40-man roster to accommodate those two. That was easy but which two? To drop them is to place them on waivers and expose them to other teams. But wait, there’s more. Is there anyone not on the 40-man roster that we should consider adding? John Ely has been exceptional with the Isotopes. Josh Fields has had a good year; maybe Tony Gwynn for defense. What about Allen Webster with the Lookouts?

Another aspect of the call-ups is that they must be added to the roster on September 1 to be eligible for post season play. Players called up after that date are not eligible for the play-offs. Players coming off the 60 day DL in September are eligible for the play-off roster which again reverts to 25.

So, you are Ned Colletti. What do you do? Let’s suppose Ted Lilly and Matt Guerrier both come off the 60 day DL to claim 40-man roster spots. Let’s also suppose we want to add John Ely and Josh Fields to the 40-man roster. Remember, we currently have no open spots. Who do we remove from the existing roster to clear three or four spots?

I believe we have some flexibility. We must place players on waivers that we feel might not be taken by other teams or we can live without. My choices would be Matt Angle, Alfredo Silverio transferred to the 60 day DL, Ivan De Jesus who seems to have no future with us, and Chris Withrow. Chris went on the DL this past week and with the AA season almost over, he could be placed on the 60 day DL to open up another spot on the 40-man roster. Perhaps Stephen Fife could be replaced by John Ely.

What’s your plan, Ned?