Milwaukee Brewers: Ranking The Possible September Call Ups

The Toss-ups

Jacob Nottingham, David Freitas, Tyler Saladino, Tyrone Taylor, Corbin Burnes

Most teams will call up a third catcher for the month of September, and the Brewers will be no different. But they’ll have a tough choice to make between Jacob Nottingham and David Freitas. Nottingham’s bat has continued to stagnate and his power has gone from his calling card, to almost nonexistent.

However, it wasn’t too long ago that Nottingham was regarded as the future behind the plate for the Milwaukee Brewers. With Yasmani Grandal‘s contract up at the end of the year, the future at that position is more important now than ever. If Nottingham isn’t ready now, will he ever be?

Meanwhile, Freitas has raked in Triple-A, posting a .386 batting average with a 1.039 OPS and 12 home runs. He’s the clear best choice offensively right now, but Freitas is also dealing with an intercostal strain. If he’s healthy, I could see Freitas getting the call over Nottingham.

Tyler Saladino stunk it up in Milwaukee earlier this season and his spot has been taken by Hernan Perez and Cory Spangenberg. Will the Brewers want more redundancy with his position skill set and lack of offensive production?

Tyrone Taylor had a huge spring training but hasn’t done well most of the season in Triple-A. However, he’s 18 for his last 35 and has raised his batting average up to .281 on the season. But with Grisham, likely Gamel, and Perez/Spangenberg, would they want another outfielder? My gut says he comes up, and won’t see much more than pinch hit opportunities.

Corbin Burnes has been a major toss up all season, really. His struggles are shocking and confusing, but he still has legit stuff. He’s recently been demoted to Double-A, and lately has been at the Brewers new, state of the art pitching lab in Arizona at Maryvale. Hopefully they have some answers for him, and if they do, we could see him back.

A dominant return for Corbin Burnes in September would do a world of good for his confidence and for the team itself during their run. Is he actually ready? It’s impossible to know right now. So it’s a toss up if he gets the call.

Call up chances: 50%