Miami Marlins to Call Up Five to Bolster 40-Man Roster

September is here. The leaves begin to turn and fall, and 30 major league rosters expand from 25 to 40 men. That’s up to a 450 player increase over the last month of the season. The Miami Marlins will call up at least five.

According to Craig Mish, reliever Nick Wittgren, starters Jeff Brigham and Sandy Alcantara, outfielder Lewis Brinson, and catcher Chad Wallach will join the team in time for today’s game.

Nick Wittgren

Wittgren is no stranger to the Miami Marlins. Over the last three seasons, he’s totaled 108 appearances with the parent club. He’s struck out 105 in116 1/3 innings, racking up a 9-5 record, a 1.332 WHIP, and a 3.79 ERA.

He appeared in 22 games earlier this season for the Marlins, going 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA and a 3.11 FIP that suggests that he pitched better. He struck out 20 in 22 1/3 innings, with a 1.612 WHIP. In 27 games between the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the New Orleans Baby Cakes this year, he is 0-6 with a 5.58 ERA. He’s struck out 35 in 30 2/3 innings.

Jeff Brigham

At 26-years-old, Jeff Brigham is a little old for a first-time major leaguer. This season between New Orleans and Jacksonville, the new rookie showed that he could succeed at higher levels. He totaled a 10-3 record over 17 starts, with a 2.36 ERA and 94 K’s in 95 1/3 innings.

Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara appeared in eight games in 2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals at the major league level. After joining the Miami Marlins system he eventually earned a win in his first major league start. Although he walked five on June 29th, he also limited the New York Mets to one run on three hits in an eventual 8-2 victory.

In the minors this year, Alcantara went 6-3 with a 3.90 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 127 innings for the Baby Cakes and the Jupiter Hammerheads.

Lewis Brinson

Lewis Brinson’s struggles have been well documented. Aside from occasional defensive outfield brilliance, Brinson struggled with the major league strike zone. With 94 strikeouts in 311 plate appearances, there are still a few things he has to learn. He slashed .186/.232/.338 in 84 contests for the Miami Marlins through the first half of the season. On July 3rd, Brinson was moved to the 10-day disabled list with right-hip inflammation.

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Brinson joined the Jumbo Shrimp on August 14th and the Baby Cakes on August 25th. Overall, he’s gone nine-for-50 with four RBI, drawing three walks while striking out 11 times.

Can Brinson realize his huge potential? His performance in September will go a long way toward determining his future major league path.

Chad Wallach

Expanding to a 40-man roster is different every season, but one thing is usually constant. Those teams that don’t already carry three catchers call one up. The Miami Marlins are no different in this respect, and will welcome Chad Wallach back into the fold.

Wallach went 4-for-31 with a double and two RBI over nine games at the beginning of the season for the Miami Marlins. In 44 games with the Baby Cakes, he has slashed .224/.324/.333 with three homers and 16 RBI.

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