Yesterday I brought up the idea that if the Braves trade Mark Kotsay before the end of the month then they will likely call up Jordan Schafer to take the reins in center field. To take that thought one step further, I think that Jordan Schafer should be called up regardless of whether or not Kotsay is traded.

The talk during the AFL and before the team traded for Kotsay was that the Braves thought Schafer might be ready for big league action. By their actions they obviously didn't want to thrust that kind of promotion on him and realized he would benefit from another year in the minors, hence why they traded for Kotsay. But they clearly traded for a one year stop-gap in Kotsay, and not someone who they wanted to hold down the job for more than a year.

This season is trashed and we need to get a head start on next year, and that includes using the next month to play some of these young kids who "could" be a part of next year's team. Let them get their feet wet now instead of next year when we're trying to complete from day one -- that begins with Jordan Schafer.

Other batters who need to be up here include guys like Brandon Jones and Brent Lillibridge (despite Lilli's struggles). Jones, who is actually already in the majors filling in for Casey Kotchman, may stay up here after Kotchman returns from the bereavement list (though Kotchman will have to return to the active roster before September 1st becuase of the rules of the bereavement list, so we may see some creative roster manipulation if he needs to be out longer). If Kotchman plans to be out beyond just one week, there is a chance the team may call up Barbaro Canizares. As a Cuban defector, the first baseman Canizarez is a bit older than most "prospects," but in his third year of minor league baseball he's finally hitting for more power while maintaining his .300 average.

The team may also want to call up Diory Hernandez to see how he responds to major league competition. Two other batters who are on the 40-man roster with a chance of getting recalled are outfielders Josh Anderson and Jason Perry

To recap, the guys who are on the 40-man roster and are likely to be recalled are Brandon Jones, Brent Lillibridge, Josh Anderson, and Jason Perry. Several guys who are not on the 40-man, but may be recalled are Diory Hernandez, Barbaro Canizares, and Jordan Schafer.

Next I'll take a look at the pitchers who have a chance of getting called up.