As MLB’s final month approaches, this week’s deep-league hitter roundup unintentionally turned into an all-rookie affair.

The parallels don’t end there. Four of the five players have gotten traded (either this year or last) from a contender less willing to produce playing time. Three are outfielders formerly drafted in the first round whose stock dwindled before reaching the majors. Two are nearing a return to The Show after an abbreviated debut. All five carry a consensus ownership rate lower than 10 percent, so managers in larger, competitive leagues will benefit from the fresh blood.

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Austin Meadows (OF – TB): 7 Percent Owned
Austin Meadows has outgrown the minor leagues. Since getting traded to Tampa Bay as part of the Chris Archer blockbuster, the rookie outfielder has batted .302/.351/.651 with seven homers in 24 Triple-A games. The power will especially make Pittsburgh cringe, as he deposited as many long balls in 91 minor and major leagues contests before the trade.

Although he hardly set the big leagues ablaze, the 23-year-old held his own (.292/.327/.468) while delivering power (five homers) and speed (four steals) through 49 games. Also acquiring Tommy Pham gave the Rays an excuse to stash him in the farm, but there’s now another outfield opening after placing Mallex Smith on the disabled list with a viral infection. If that doesn’t compel them to act, September’s roster expansion should.

Patience is a luxury some managers can’t afford this late in the season. Yet Meadows remains a 20/20 threat despite his prospect buzz simmering over the years. He’s someone who must be accounted for in all 15-team leagues (and 12-teamers with five outfielders) when given the overdue call.

Willie Calhoun (OF – TEX): 7 Percent Owned
Pining for prospects is often as futile as Millhouse trying to woo Lisa Simpson. It’s an unrequited love that never materializes into anything real beyond our happily-ever-after fantasies.

I, too, once had lofty dreams. Willie Calhoun would open the season in Texas’s lineup and run away with the gig, giving me the cheapest high-contact slugger in all the land. He instead stayed in the minors until July 20 and homered once in 22 games before getting shuttled back to Triple-A two weeks ago.

His consensus ownership rate has thus dwindled to seven percent. Why waste valuable real estate stashing a .275/.325/.391 hitter? Because Jeff Bannister said Calhoun will return when rosters expand on September 1, unless a need arises sooner. Finding consistent playing time is a messier issue. Ronald Guzman has not notched an extra-base hit since August 13, so perhaps Joey Gallo could move to first and clear left field for the 5’8″ slugger. Or perhaps the last-place Rangers strip veterans Shin-Soo Choo or Adrian Beltre of some starts with the future in mind. Although he no longer looks like a lock to mash, it’s far too premature to throw in the towel on Calhoun.

Ryan O’Hearn (1B – KC): 1 Percent Owned
Eric Hosmer, who left the Royals to sign a $144 contract with the Padres, has hit seven home runs since May 16. Ryan O’Hearn, a 25-year-old rookie who was batting .235/.322/.391 in his second Triple-A season, has clubbed six long balls in 19 big league games.

The rookie boasts a .581 slugging percentage after also rocketing three doubles last week. Kansas City can only hope it found another Lucas Duda, and there’s plenty of room to play both lefty mashers every day. Yet the newcomer also looks best suited for a platoon with only one of his 15 hits accrued in 20 plate appearances against southpaws.

Investors should be dubious given O’Hearn’s middling minor league production. His .242 batting average could drop even more if he remains exposed to lefties while not improving a 30.4 strikeout percentage. Yet he’s also tearing the cover off baseballs with a 47.5 percent hard-hit rate and the same average exit velocity (93.4) as J.D. Martinez, as of Sunday.

Don’t expect another five weeks of behemoth slugging, but O’Hearn warrants a look for deep-league managers seeking power. Kansas City’s five-game week, however, does not make him an ideal plug-and-play for those who must set a weekly lineup.

Billy McKinney (OF – TOR): 1 Percent Owned
The Yankees can sure use an outfielder like Billy McKinney right now. Had he stuck around a week or two longer, the Bronx Bombers may have promoted him with Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, and Jacoby Ellsbury all on the shelf. He’s instead making a memorable debut for a division foe.

MLB’s trade deadline Forrest Gump got swapped for the third time before turning 24 and ever logging a major league rep. This time he was a throw-in to the Blue Jays, who also received Brandon Drury for J.A. Happ. The 2013 first-round pick was hitting .226 in Triple-A following a promising 2017. Brought up despite batting .203/.203/.453 in 20 minor league games for Toronto, McKinney has smashed three home runs and two doubles in his last five games.

Let’s go out on a limb and say he won’t maintain a .370/.485/.778 slash line through September. Playing time also isn’t a certainty, but the fourth-place squad has prioritized their younger outfielders over Curtis Granderson. The 37-year-old pending free agent, who could still be shipped to a contender through waivers this week, will continue to lose playing time in the season’s waning weeks.

While McKinney has struggled to put his promising speed and hit tool to use, he got promoted with a career 10.2 walk percentage and .470 slugging percentage this season. There’s enough power and plate discipline to keep him on the deep-league radar, especially if Toronto keeps deploying him in the leadoff spot.

Ramon Laureano (OF – OAK): 1 Percent Owned
Ramon Laureano can’t keep hitting .280 with a 32.1 strikeout percentage. He can, however, offer power and speed sizzle as Oakland’s starting center fielder.

The A’s took advantage of a down 2017 (.227/.298/.369) to cheaply snatch the prospect away from the Astros. The toolsy 24-year-old is now helping the AL West underdogs tighten the division race by batting .289/.321/.480 with three dingers and steals apiece in 18 games. Strong defense should also keep him on the field during an intense pennant push. He has also drawn three walks in four games after going 40 plate appearances without a big-league free pass.

Some gamers get a bit too prospect crazy, but few are paying much attention to a former first-round pick who hit .297/.380/.524 with 14 homers and 11 steals in 64 Triple-A games. Laureano provides upside as a deep squad’s fifth outfielder as Oakland embarks on a seven-game week.

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Andrew Gould is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrewgould4.