In September, the MLB roster expands, allowing for more players to be on the active roster. With the expanded rosters come the call-ups of top prospects, which the Cleveland Guardians are likely to consider.
But, they could also look to call up a player who’s already made their MLB debut instead. If they go that route, like Zachary Rotman of Fansided.com predicts, there’s a very intriguing slugger who fits the bill.
Rotman predicts that the Guardians could decide to call up polarizing fan favorite slugger Jhonkensy Noel. “Big Christmas” could be a fun player to have on the roster to close out the 2025 regular season.
Guardians Could Call Up Big Christmas
If the Guardians are vying for a playoff spot, then the team might consider making a more aggressive call-up. But, as Rotman outlines, there isn’t a great option other than Noel to come up this September.
“In an ideal world,” Rotman writes, “Chase DeLauter would be healthy and top prospects like Travis Bazzana and Cooper Ingle would be raking in Triple-A. Unfortunately, none of these things are happening right now. With that in mind, calling up a familiar face like Jhonkensy Noel might be the right move for the Cleveland Guardians to make.”
While calling up one of their top prospects would be ideal, there aren’t any great options for Cleveland to call up who are ready to make their MLB debuts just yet.
Instead, calling Noel up to the Majors once more could be a reasonable solution. In his initial Major League stint with the Guardians in 2025, Noel struggled.
MORE: Guardians predicted to call up John Means in September after seven years with Orioles
He had a .140 batting average across 107 at-bats with two home runs, nine RBIs, and a poor .377 OPS. However, a year ago, in 2024, he was much better. In 179 at-bats, Noel had a .218 average with 13 home runs, 28 RBIs, and a .774 OPS.
Noel was also a postseason contributor, even with his .446 OPS. “Big Christmas” hit a massive ninth-inning, game-tying, two-out, two-run home run against the New York Yankees in a 7-5 win.
While he wasn’t great in the Majors to begin 2025, Noel has been lighting it up in Triple-A. He has a .262 batting average with 12 home runs and 27 RBIs with an .827 OPS.
The 24-year-old right-handed hitting slugger could be the spark the team needs to close out 2025, especially if he can carry his offensive production from Triple-A over to the Majors.
With the season in flux anyway, it’s worth the risk for the Guardians to call up “Big Christmas” in September as Rotman predicts.
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