Call-ups to the rescue

THOSE who still are competing for a fantasy baseball title are about to f ind themselves at a very interesting crossroads in late August. You’re looking for that extra boost in a category or two to either maintain your place atop the standings or find that one area in which to strike hardest and move up the ranks.

As we witnessed with Daniel Murphy heading to the Cubs, teams are actively shopping players as the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline nears, which means there will be more than just a few September call-ups thrown into full-time duty. Now the question: Which ones are worthy of your fantasy roster?

Though most prospect-hunters are anticipating the arrival of speedy outfielder Victor Robles, many are missing the potential addition of infield prospect Carter Kieboom — the younger brother of Spencer, Washington’s current back-up catcher.

Though Carter hasn’ t played above t he Double-A l evel , t he Nationals have watched him powerup in August with four doubles, one triple, three home runs and eight RBIs. He still is a little raw, but that is what these late-season call-ups are all about — testing the raw kids against big league pitching.

If pitching is your need, middle relievers could be your ticket to success. Arizona’s Jimmy Sherfy is expected to return to the bigs, and if he does what he did last year (0.00 ERA, 0.68 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 10²/₃ innings), he is going to be a nice asset. The same goes for Indians righty Ben Taylor, who has seemingly found his slider in TripleA. If you need a starter, then Atlanta’s Touki Toussaint leads the way.

On offense, start watching for opportunities to open, like in San Francisco where Buster Posey’s hip is opening the door for Aramis Garcia. Watch for Kansas City’s Kelvin Gutierrez. And if you need speed, look for Colorado’s Raimel Tapia.

Big names are easy to hunt, but digging deep could prove more fruitful.