August 31, 2013, saw the IronPigs fall to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 3-2 and following the game I and another reporter took the walk down to the clubhouse for postgame interviews. Manager Dave Brundage was in his first season with the IronPigs and allowed the media to have nearly unlimited access to the clubhouse and players unless there was a specific reason not to, and he and the players expected our postgame visits. This night though, the clubhouse doors were locked. Normally, that only happens where there is a team meeting going on, but the date was a clue that was not the case.

Sept. 1 is the day when Major League Baseball allows rosters to expand. In those days, teams could jump their roster from the usual 25 to as many as 40 players, though most only went as high as 35 players. Brundage had decided to celebrate the eight players going to the Phillies the next day by announcing the promotions in the clubhouse rather than calling players into his office, leading to the locked doors.

In a few minutes, catcher Cameron Rupp burst out of the clubhouse doors in full uniform with his cell phone in hand. The smile on his face told us he was going to the majors for the first time. Rupp knew we were assembled there but didn’t try to hide his conversation as he spoke with his parents in Texas to give them the news and before long started to cry as he spoke with them.

Now, teams can only add two players to the MLB roster which limits the number of first-time callups. As a catcher who had a great season, Rupp would have been added to the Phillies roster even if there were stricter limits, but others may not have. Saturday night, manager Anthony Contreras will give the news to two of his players that they will be traveling to Philadelphia.

Here’s a look at who might get the call:

The most deserving of the players to head to Philadelphia is Scott Kingery. The former superstar prospect has 23 home runs and 63 RBI with a .284 batting average. Sometimes though, the most deserving are not the ones who get the call and Kingery’s odds may be long.

The Phillies would need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster which would mean potentially losing the player they remove, and he plays primarily on the infield where the Phillies have enough players to back up their starters. If the Phillies were going to add Kingery, it may have been on Monday when Weston Wilson went on the paternity list and Buddy Kennedy was recalled, but again, Kennedy had the advantage of already being on the 40-man roster.

Most teams look to add a third catcher and an extra bullpen arm to their roster with the limited moves they have to make. The Phillies could use some help at both positions, especially in the bullpen. In a flurry of moves on Monday, the Phillies recalled pitchers Michael Mercado and Max Lazar with Jose Alvarado going on the restricted list and Kolby Allard being optioned down to Lehigh Valley. Catcher Rafael Marchan is a likely candidate to rejoin the Phillies after a successful 17-game stint in Philadelphia when J.T. Realmuto was injured.

Pitchers Tyler Gilbert and Tyler Phillips, who have both spent time with the Phillies during the season, are likely candidates as well to get the other spot. A longshot choice would be reliever Griff McGarry, who struggled early in the year but has turned his season around and has a 2-1 record and 3.76 ERA in 23 games with the IronPigs. Like Kingery though, he would need to be added to the 40-man roster.

SOMETHING TO LOOK FOR… Outfielder Justin Crawford, who is a top Phillies prospect, is playing well at Double-A Reading. The 20-year-old outfielder has plenty of speed and a strong pedigree as the son of former MLB outfielder Carl Crawford. It’s possible that his .312/.356/.413 line and 10 stolen bases in 26 games, the Phillies could reward him with a visit to Lehigh Valley sometime in September. The Double-A season ends September 15, a week before the Triple-A season, which could be when Crawford comes to the IronPigs to play in the final series of the season, which is at home. If you want to catch Crawford at Reading, the Fightins have their last homestand of the season next week.

FALL FROM GRACE… The IronPigs are 25-24 in the second half of the season, which drops them 7 ½ games behind Columbus for the final playoff spot in the International League. The Clippers have held the top spot for the entire second half and it appears that manager and former IronPig Andy Tracy will lead his team to the Triple-A championship.