Yost would prefer revision to callup rule

KANSAS CITY -- Put Royals manager Ned Yost among the baseball folks who feel the current rule on September callups needs a bit of revising.

"I think they should tweak it. I think there should be a limited number of players that you can use on your roster, and you can change it day to day," Yost said.

The current rule permits clubs to call up players on their 40-man roster, inflating the 25-man active rosters from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season. The idea is to give competing teams additional talent for the stretch run, or, in the case of non-contenders, to allow them a chance to view up-and-coming Minor Leaguers.

There's concern, though, that it makes for an uneven playing field at a crucial time of year. One manager with 29 players might have to try to ponder the moves that another manager with 35 players could make. It's been pointed out that Tony La Russa, when managing the Cardinals, stocked up with so many pitchers that he could switch according to lefty-right matchups continuously.

A solution would be to allow callups, but limit the roster to a specified number each day for a team.

"It's got to be more than 25," Yost said. "If it's 30 or 28 or 29 -- I don't know what the number is. It's not up to me to decide, but I think it ought to be consistent, and both teams ought to have the same number of players."