September Call-Ups: 5 Players You Can Expect to See in Oakland

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Jun 8, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Kyle Blanks (88) bats in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Athletics defeated the Orioles 11-1. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Blanks hasn’t played since June 22nd with a severely strained hamstring. Blanks was acquired earlier this season in a trade with the San Diego Padres for Jake Goebbert.

In his time with the A’s Blanks provided some pop at the plate, hitting .333, with a .444 OBP, 2 HR and 7 RBI in 56 plate appearances before the injury.

Adding Blanks would be a huge boost to the lineup. Before he went down, Blanks was facing mostly lefties, much like Nate Freiman does now. The edge that Blanks has over Big Nate is that he can play the outfield, as well as first base.

Blanks is currently rehabbing with Craig Gentry in Sacramento, and should be very close to returning. With the River Cats, Blanks has hit one over the fence and accumulated 3 RBI in 7 games (21 at-bats). He is also hitting .429 with Sacramneto, so as soon as his stamina is up, he should be deemed ready to go.

If Blanks is ready before September, he could push Nate Freiman off the Oakland roster for the remainder of the season.