Did Top Prospect Brown's Path to the Houston Astros Just Open Up?

As rosters expand Thursday, the Houston Astros have a clearer path to call-up Hunter Brown from Triple-A.

Major League Baseball rosters expand to 28 players at the start of September. As the Houston Astros plan out their next course of action, Hunter Brown's call-up looms on mind of fans and executives alike.

The Astros placed Ryan Pressly on the injured list Friday, making him eligible to return Sept. 6, the placement retroactive to his last outing. Even if Pressly isn't healthy enough to return to the roster then, a clearer path has opened for top prospect Brown to join the pitching staff.

He has yet to be added to the 40-man roster, but his inevitable addition will come with his first stint in the Major Leagues. As Brown awaits his first opportunity in the Majors, the top-100 prospect may see a call-up prior to Houston's first September bout on the 2nd.

Seth Martinez — who was a for-sure call-up — was recalled from Triple-A on Thursday, making the decision easier to promote Brown with no other pitching prospect making a run at a call-up. From a normal perspective, the Astros would have had to option Martinez or Bryan Abreu in September to provide a Major League appearance to Brown.

The Astros' plan has yet to be reported, but with Pressly on the injured list and Martinez back on the active roster, there's a clearer path for Brown to join Houston at the start of the month. 

To break into the 40-man roster, Brown could replace the injured Niko Goodrum by either a 60-day injured list placement or designation for assignment. There aren't any pitchers on the cusp of being DFA'd for Brown based on Triple-A play alone, but for the start of September, it behooves the Astros to give their top prospect a shot.

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