Brewers: The 12 Most Deserving Candidates For September Call Ups

Pitchers (Already on 40 man)

Eric Lauer, Colin Rea, JB Bukauskas

The Brewers will have a stretch of 17 games in a row without an off day in September, which could lead Craig Counsell to use a six man rotation. If the Brewers decide to go that route, they have some good candidates to go with, but will also look to have them help out of the bullpen as needed.

Eric Lauer might be a forgotten name among some fans this year. He struggled to get going, then was placed on the IL, then quietly demoted and taken off the field, going to the pitching lab in Arizona to figure things out. He's since gotten back on the mound in Triple-A Nashville and has pitched well. Lauer has a 2.76 ERA in 16.1 IP since returning from his month and a half layoff in late July. Since he's seemingly back to normal, he could make sense as a swingman out of the bullpen with plenty of big league experience and he gives Counsell another left hander.

Colin Rea was unexpectedly relied on heavily in the first half of the season, racking up 19 starts and 100.1 IP with a 5.11 ERA. Although the ERA climbed toward the end, Rea for the most part kept the Brewers in ball games and was fairly solid. He helped get the Brewers through a tough time when some key starters were injured and has a 2.50 ERA in four starts in Nashville.

J.B. Bukauskas was picked up off waivers earlier this year and only accumulated three innings of work with the Brewers. He only allowed one run in those three innings and was decent before getting injured and subsequently optioned back down once he got healthy. He's been good for Triple-A Nashville, racking up four holds and five saves. If the Brewers are looking for another pure bullpen arm, Bukauskas could be the pick.