There's still over a month left in the regular season, but the Yankees probably can't help but look ahead to the playoffs.
The race for the AL East seems to be over, as New York leads Tampa Bay by 9.5 games and Boston by a stunning 15.5 games. Instead, the Yankees are in a race for the best record in baseball, a race they lead alongside the Dodgers, who are also 86-47.
On September 1, teams are allowed to expand their big-league rosters to help prepare for the end of the season and the looming postseason. Aaron Boone will be looking to the minors for some late-season additions who might be able to help in September and October.
Here are three players who the Yankees could soon call-up to the majors for the home stretch.
Clint Frazier
It has been a tumultuous season for Frazier, to say the least. The 24-year-old was called up on April 2 when New York was suffering the first wave of the injury avalanche the team has dealt with this campaign. He was in the big leagues until the middle of June before he was sent down when Brian Cashman traded for Edwin Encarnacion.
Frazier had committed a series of defensive mistakes in a game against the Red Sox, and he then complained about his press coverage in New York a few days later. Since being optioned to Triple-A Scranton, Frazier has accepted that it was his own mistakes that got him sent down. He has seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 56 games with Scranton.
If Frazier can hit well and keep the defensive errors to a minimum when he does return to the majors, then he could have a part to play as the Yankees get set for the most important months of the year.
Deivi Garcia
Garcia, who is still just 20-years-old, has yet to get his big call up to the major leagues. He began 2019 in Single-A ball, before being promoted to Double-A and then Triple-A during the course of the season. His most recent promotion came just after he pitched in the All-Star Futures Game.
The Dominican is viewed as the Yankees' best pitching prospect. He is 5-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 24 games across the three tiers of the minor leagues, but that record is probably a bit misleading considering the teams he has been playing on.
Aaron Boone's team needs help in their starting rotation, but it's hard to envision Garcia being ready to immediately step in as a starter, especially as the intensity of the games ratchets up around October. It's more likely that he will pitch out of the bullpen, where he can still make an impact and get a chance to show his tremendous stuff in small bursts.
Jonathan Loaisiga
Loaisiga's three starts for the Yankees this year did not last very long. In those three appearances, the 24-year-old pitcher only threw a combined 11 innings. He has a 5.12 ERA in total, which includes his three relief appearances this season. Loaisiga was on the injury list from May until August. Upon his return, he pitched twice out of the bullpen for the Yankees in games against the Athletics and the Indians. He was sent down to Triple-A on Saturday, but it's safe to expect him back up soon. He was one of the team's September call-ups last year as well.
The Nicaraguan right-hander isn't going to blow anyone out of the water this year, but he could be another solid option for the middle of games and for the end of games. Coming out of the bullpen would make his earlier longevity issues irrelevant. Plus, he's seemingly fully healthy now.
The Yankees are going to need some of their arms to get hot come October, why couldn't one of them be Loaisiga?
