Five call-ups who could help the Royals

Five call-ups who could help the Royals in September, when active major-league rosters can be expanded from 25 to 40 players:

1. Francisco Peña, C: He is the picture-perfect candidate for September. Extra catcher? Check. Already on the 40-man roster? Check. Twenty-seven home runs through 94 games at Class AAA Omaha? Check.

2. Brandon Finnegan, LHP: The team’s first-round pick in June, Finnegan looks the most likely to emerge from the Royals’ prospect pack as a relief option. He has outperformed Kyle Zimmer (who has been rusty) and Christian Binford (who lacks outstanding stuff, even as a reliever). The team is cautious about overusing Finnegan in his first professional season, but he possesses a dynamic arsenal and team officials rave about his makeup.

3. Terrance Gore, OF: Jarrod Dyson has become too valuable to be utilized solely as a pinch runner, but Gore may fit the bill. Heading into Tuesday’s games, he possessed a 91 percent success rate on stolen-base attempts. He is not on the 40-man roster, but the team could make some maneuvers to bring him aboard.

4. Carlos Peguero, OF: Like Gore, he isn’t on the roster. But he pulverized baseballs in August — he hit 13 homers and slugged .867 in the first 24 games of the month — and could be a power force off the bench.

5. Tim Collins, LHP: Remember him? Collins was a mess in the majors this season, but he has big-league experience and a spot on the 40-man roster. The same can be said for right-handed reliever Casey Coleman.

This story was originally published August 30, 2014 at 5:28 PM.