Astros September expanded roster primer

September 1 is upon us. September 1 is a day that Major League Baseball teams can expand the traditional 25-man roster to their full 40-man roster. Let’s take a look at what that all means and how it will affect the Astros.

What are and why do we have September call-ups?

As previously mention, teams can use their entire 40-man roster for the remainder of the season as of Sept. 1. The reason a team is allowed to do this is to give young players major league experience without burning their rookie status. It can also be seen as reinforcements for a team in playoff contention as players need rest during a long 162-game season.

It may be a foreign concept for Astros fans as the current crop of young stars on the team (Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Lance McCullers, George Springer) did get a call up in September — instead were called up midseason in June and July.

What does this mean for the Astros?

At the moment, the Astros has a full active roster, three players on the disabled list and 11 other players currently on the 40-man roster but within the Astros minor system.

So the Astros could, if they wanted to, bring up all 11 players to join the major league roster throughout the run to the playoffs.

The team has already stated they will be adding Triple-A manager Tony DeFrancesco and Double-A manager Rodney Linares to join the coaching staff during the month.

Who will the Astros call up?

The 11 players previously mentioned are outfielder Andrew Aplin, LHP Kevin Chapman, second baseman Nolan Fontana, RHP Jandel Gustave, RHP James Hoyt, third baseman Colin Moran, RHP David Paulino, RHP Brad Peacock, first baseman Jon Singleton, catcher Max Stassi and first baseman Tyler White.

The Astros will simply not use all 10-plus extra players on the 40-man roster. The local players at the moment, we have already seen in the majors in 2016 — Gustave, Hoyt, Moran, Peacock, Stassi and White.

Any dark horses?

Why yes, there are. The one non-40 man roster member that looks like a clear choice for a September call-up is RHP Brady Rodgers. Rodgers, a native of Richmond, Texas, has been lights out this season for the Fresno Grizzlies. He is12-4 with a 2.91 ERA in 21 starts for the Grizzlies. Rodgers was selected to the PCL All-Star game this year as a starter. This week, Rodgers was selected as the 2016 PCL Pitcher of the Year.

The Astros have already shown a track record of a rewarding award-winning season with a September call-up. Matt Duffy was called up in September after winning the 2015 PCL MVP award.

The Astros have one open spot on the 40-man roster that Rodgers could seamlessly slide into.

Why not throw in Jon Singleton because he’s getting paid major league money already -- $ 2 million in 2016 to be exact.

What happens if (BIG IF) Astros make the playoffs, then what?

The Astros would have to a playoff roster with only 25 players.