4 Phillies minor league hitters most deserving of a September call-up

September is right around the corner, which means MLB teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, will soon be able to expand their active rosters from 26 to 28 players.

It's not like the old days (before 2021) when teams could call up as many 40-man roster players as they liked for the final month of the season. This is the fourth year with MLB's more restrictive September roster expansion rules, with only two extra players allowed. Teams can carry no more than 14 pitchers.

4 Phillies minor league hitters most deserving of a September call-up

The Phillies will bring a couple of minor league players up on Sept. 1, likely one pitcher and one position player, to help them down the stretch run to the postseason. We're going to focus on hitters today, and there are some extremely worthy candidates who could get the call to the big leagues.

While it would be fun to see a young top prospect like Justin Crawford in Philadelphia, it won't happen — despite his ridiculous performance since his promotion to Double-A. He's slashing .301/.340/.409 in 22 games for the Reading Fightin Phils. His results might entice other organizations to promote him, but he's still just 20, and the Phillies aren't in any rush with their top prospects.

We'll also give first baseman/designated hitter Darick Hall his due since it's unlikely we'll see him in a Phillies uniform before the end of the season. The team designated him for assignment on Aug. 9, but he cleared waivers and returned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Hall isn't having as good a year as he had in 2023. He's slashing .247/.324/.398 with 12 home runs in 86 games. He did set the IronPigs franchise record in home runs earlier in July and just recently became the leader in RBI with 262. With Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber in the way, there's no place for Hall in the majors, even with expanded rosters.

Now, on to the minor league hitters who are putting up numbers this season and are most deserving of a September call-up.

Rafael Marchán

Phillies fans love Rafael Marchán, as do the Phillies. Although, the team doesn't love him quite enough to replace backup catcher Garrett Stubbs just yet.

Splitting extended time with Stubbs while J.T. Realmuto was on the IL this season, Marchán opened some eyes as to what he brings at and behind the plate (subscription required), per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey. In 17 games for the Phillies, the 25-year-old batted .294/.345/.549 with three home runs.

More impressive than the results he got in his third stint in the majors were some of the underlying plate discipline numbers. He only walked at a 5.4 percent clip but struck out at just 14.3 percent of the time. For comparison, Stubbs is striking out at a 27.3 percent pace this season, and the league average is 22.4 percent.

Marchán's numbers at Triple-A this season are solid but not eye-popping. He went on a tear after being sent back down, hitting .371 with a .910 OPS over 10 games. He has gone hitless in his last five games, but even so, his performance with the Phillies this year should be enough for the team to at least consider him as an option.

Marchán was the extra player called up for the London Series, but that was when the Phillies were dealing with Realmuto's bum knee. Carrying three catchers isn't unheard of with expanded rosters. With the offense's struggles, they might be concerned enough about getting some extra production from the backup catcher position to use their lone extra position player roster spot on Marchán — he certainly deserves another look at the major league level.

Buddy Kennedy

When the Phillies swung a trade with the Detroit Tigers for Buddy Kennedy in early June, nobody really batted an eye. It was a minor-league deal, with cash going back the other way. The most interesting things about Kennedy seemed to be that he was from New Jersey, went to the same high school as Mike Trout and his grandfather played for the Phillies.

Little did we know that the 25-year-old infielder would go on a tear after suiting up for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

In 51 games, he's slashing .304/.408/.518 with eight home runs while walking as much as he strikes out (13.7 percent). He has a pull-heavy approach, but since joining the Phillies organization, Kennedy has changed his batted ball profile. He's using a little more of the field and is hitting more line drives and fewer ground balls than he did with the Tigers' Triple-A team.

Originally a 2017 fifth-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kennedy has 46 games of major league experience already. Hitting .205 with a .610 OPS in 136 plate appearances, it's evident he hasn't been able to put it together against MLB pitching yet.

In his most recent MLB stint with Detroit this season (six games and 13 plate appearances), Kennedy hit just .200 but had a home run and a pair of walks to go along with four strikeouts. He might be a sleeper pick for a call-up, but he deserves it nonetheless.

Scott Kingery

Old friend Scott Kingery is still hanging around in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Despite the mistaken reports that he was released from the Phillies' employ when they declined his option this past offseason, his contract reverted back to his original deal. Now 30 years old, he has been getting his final kick at the proverbial can.

Boy oh boy, is he making the most of his one last shot in the organization that drafted him 48th overall in 2015.

Kingery's numbers this season with the IronPigs make you wonder what exactly he needs to do to get added to the 40-man roster to earn a call-up. In 101 games, the former second-round pick is slashing .282/.330/.517 and has been showing off the balance of power and speed, with 22 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He has scored 64 times and knocked in 59 runs.

Despite selling out for power and trying to make an impact, he's still hitting for a good average. He's actually sporting his best Triple-A batting average since he hit .294 in 63 Triple-A games in 2017. He's also running the highest slugging percentage he has ever had while playing for the IronPigs, since that same 2017 season when he slugged .449.

The Phillies might be wary of his high 28.5 percent strikeout rate, which has been one of his calling cards the last few seasons in Triple-A. Regardless, you can't argue with his production with the approach.

With Kingery playing primarily as a middle infielder this season (mostly shortstop), there wouldn't be much playing time available in the big leagues, but he'd be a great pinch-running option. Either way, it'd be nice to see him in a Phillies uniform just one more time.