The Boston Red Sox are not having a good year. They’re at the bottom of the AL East with a 59-60 record as of Friday night and although the team is just five games out of a Wild Card spot, it just feels unlikely Alex Cora’s group will actually make the postseason because of their lack of consistency.

With September inching closer and closer, that means the rosters expand. It’s an opportunity to give some youngsters a chance to contribute at the big league level and see if they can help Boston make a playoff push. After all, the organization still has some intriguing youngsters in its system waiting for the call.

Here are 2 prospects the Red Sox needs to call up in the coming weeks.

It’s clear Bobby Dalbec isn’t the long-term answer at first base. He’s hitting .208 this year and .231 in his career. That’s a big reason the Red Sox went out and acquired Eric Hosmer, a veteran with a proven track record. But he’s also not the future at this position. It’s power-hitting slugger Triston Casas. There are already rumors swirling around that the 22-year-old could be promoted to the Majors as early as next Tuesday in order to salvage his rookie status for the 2023 campaign.

Casas currently ranks 28th on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects. He is a special talent who looks ready to make his mark in the show right now. As of Friday, Casas is hitting .263 with 10 homers and 34 RBI this season and although he’s dealt with some injury problems this season, it truly wouldn’t hurt to bring him up. The Red Sox wanted to see Casas improve against left-handed pitching and he did before sustaining the ankle issue.

At 6’4″ and 252 pounds, Casas is an absolute specimen. He’s built to be in the MLB. Sure, he won’t get a lot of playing time this year with Boston but just getting him to Fenway and gaining that experience in the MLB will be crucial for his growth down the road.

The Red Sox just traded away Christian Vazquez. That leaves them with limited options behind the dish now, with Reese McGuire and Kevin Plawecki. But, there is a catcher waiting in Triple-A ready to make an impact: Ronaldo Hernandez. The 24-year-old is on the 40-man roster and was on the taxi squad when Vazquez was shipped off to Houston. He’s yet to actually play in the bigs, though.

In 2022, Hernandez is the definition of productivity. He’s batting .277 with 11 long balls and 51 RBI in Worcester while performing very well defensively. To be honest, McGuire and Plawecki just aren’t better options for the Red Sox than Hernandez. He’s young, hungry, and swinging it very well only a level below the Majors. McGuire is hitting .208. Plawecki? .169.

The only downside is bringing in a new catcher this late in the campaign can be troubling for the arms because they get used to throwing to certain guys.  Nevertheless, given where the Red Sox are at, it’s worth it. Hernandez is literally a .289 career hitter in the minor leagues. There is really no excuse to not give him an opportunity and see if he can replicate that success against big league arms. Hernandez is evidently ready for the challenge. The Red Sox must let him loose.