Who Could the Twins Call Up for September?

In spite of releasing Tim Wood yesterday, the Twins do not have any open spots on their 40-man roster. In fact, after having as many as three players on the 60-day disabled list earlier in the season, all three have come off of it. With that in mind, here are the 14 players that the front office will be discussing for September.

Cole De Vries, RHP

After missing a month, De Vries has made four starts in August: 19 innings, one earned run, 14 strikeouts, no walks. Two of those starts have been for Triple-A. He hasn't pitched incredibly well there on the whole this season, but that's not as important as what we already know about him: we know who he is. At his best he's brilliant with his command, but can't miss bats and has a penchant for giving up hits in droves. Could he be called up for September? Yes. I'm just not sure how likely that will be. He's scheduled to start tonight, so a great outing could twist some arms.

Scott Diamond, LHP

Diamond is all but guaranteed a recall. He's now made five starts for Rochester since his demotion, posting a 2.12 ERA in 34 innings and he helps them in their stretch run to the Triple-A post-season. The only way he doesn't get called up is if the Red Wings make the playoffs and make deep run.

Kyle Gibson, RHP

Gibson won't be available to pitch because of the imposed innings limit, but it would still be valuable experience to have him with the Major League team in September. I hope to see him on the bench, learning and talking to the veterans.

B.J. Hermsen, RHP

The 23-year old hasn't had a terrible season in Double-A, but it hasn't been particularly good either. He may be giving a cup of coffee in September simply to give him a cursory look at to take a few innings off of a bullpen that's had far too much responsibility thrust upon it this season, but with 111 hits allowed and just 31 strikeouts in 81 innings expectations should be low.

Pedro Hernandez, LHP

Hernandez has gone from the Twins, to the Red Hawks, and now to the Double-A Rock Cats. I can see the Twins recalling him simply because he has MLB experience, but it wouldn't accomplish anything. If we see him in September I'd be surprised.

Trevor May, RHP

With the Twins selecting him to participate in the Arizona Fall League, I'd be surprised if he didn't at least may a token appearance or two with the team in September.

Michael Tonkin, RHP

Tonkin is a guaranteed member of the September '12 Relief Corps. Gardy will want to audition him frequently to get a first-hand look at what he can do for next season.

Vance Worley, RHP

Currently on the seven-day disabled list, Worley hasn't pitched since July 7. If he were healthy he'd be one of the few pitchers available who could make a start or two in September, but that seems unlikely. It almost feels like a foregone conclusion that we won't see him again until February.

Josmil Pinto, C

Pinto has now played in 18 games for the Red Wings, posting a .303/.324/.455 triple slash after being successful in Double-A for most of the season. With Joe Mauer's return uncertain, and with the lack of long-term catching options elsewhere on the roster, Pinto will see a lot of time behind the plate next month. He's been very good versus left-handed pitching this season.

Eduardo Escobar, IF

Since his demotion, Escobar has put together a pretty good season with the Red Wings, hitting .293/.371/.442 in 147 at-bats. In spite of the improved play of Brian Dozier and the defensive wizardry of Pedro Florimon, neither player has their future written in stone. And they could probably use a break, too. Escobar will have opportunities, provided the Red Wings aren't in the playoffs.

Danny Santana, SS

As we wrote yesterday, Santana has been improving offensively over his last couple of months. We also know that Gardy likes him. Santana could be one of the few truly interesting players to watch in September, and he'll have plenty of chances if Escobar is busy with Rochester.

Aaron Hicks, CF

After all of the time he spent with the Twins earlier in the season, it would be a mistake to not call him up for the season's final few weeks.

Darin Mastroianni, OF

Maestrro has worked long and hard to get back from his injury, and with the outfield one big question mark for 2014 it seems likely that we see quite a bit o him.

Chris Parmelee, OF

For whatever reason, Parmelee hasn't shown in Rochester the ability to mash that we'd come to expect. He's another one of those bubble players for next season - a guy who has the talent to succeed but hasn't been able to make the transition - so it's a bit surprising to see him struggle so badly in Triple-A this season. Whether it's due to emotional let down, a lack of focus following the demotion, or any other number of things, it's likely he'll see a lot of playing time with the Twins in September. He needs to show the organization something.

In review, this is how I see it.

Likely Call Ups

Scott Diamond (LHP) *, Kyle Gibson (RHP), Trevor May (RHP), Michael Tonkin (RHP), Josmil Pinto (C) *, Eduardo Escobar (IF) *, Danny Santana (IF), Aaron Hicks (CF) *, Darin Mastroianni (OF) *, Chris Parmelee (OF) *

Possible

Cole De Vries (RHP) *, B.J. Hermsen (RHP)

Not Likely

Pedro Hernandez (LHP), Vance Worley (RHP)

* = Depending on the Red Wings' playoff run