Every year on the first day of September, Major League Baseball rosters expand to 40, giving prospects a chance to make a name for themselves with the big club. Over the last 25 years, the Red Sox have had countless youngsters join the team and create either an opening chapter for a lasting legacy or just a brief glimpse into the type of player they might have been.

While this year’s candidates have yet to make an impact, here are 10 of the most memorable late-season Red Sox call-ups over the last 25 years, listed in chronological order.

Jody Reed

Jody Reed, 1987

Long before there was Dustin Pedroia, there was Reed, another 5-foot-9, scrappy second baseman. Reed made his debut with the Red Sox in September 1987 and went 3-for-6 with two RBIs in his first start. His hot bat extended throughout his late-season stint, when he hit .300 with eight RBIs in nine games. Reed’s time as a call-up foreshadowed what would be a successful rookie campaign in 1988, when Reed hit .293 and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting while also helping the team to a division title. Reed, lost to the Rockies in the 1992 expansion draft (and then immediately traded to the Dodgers), lasted 11 seasons in the majors and now serves as the manager of the Dodgers’ rookie league team in Arizona.

Dwayne Hosey, 1995

In September of 1995, the Red Sox were looking to supplement the struggling outfield bats of Lee Tinsley and Willie McGee when they promoted Hosey to the big club. The switch-hitter lit it up at the plate, hitting .338 that September with three home runs and a 1.026 OPS. Hosey’s hot September helped him earn a spot on the team’s postseason roster, but the center fielder failed to perform on the bigger stage. He did not have a hit in 12 plate appearances against the Indians in the ALDS, and the Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs. Hosey’s career with the Sox was short-lived — he was traded to Texas in 1996 and released by the Rangers without ever having played a game for them. Hosey now is the batting coach for the Brewers’ Single-A team in Brevard County, Fla., and it looks like he could give dance lessons as well.

Nomar Garciaparra, 1996

Nomar made his Red Sox debut on Aug. 31, 1996, in the seventh inning of a game against the Athletics as a defensive replacement. The next day, Nomar hit a home run for his first major league hit and proceeded to go 3-for-5, scoring two runs and knocking in two. Nomar had multi-hit games in seven of his 22 starts and played so well in the field that he displaced the shortstop at the time, John Valentin, who moved over to third base. Nomar continued on to become a fan favorite in Boston and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997. After 14 seasons in the majors and a career .313 batting average, he retired after the 2009 season.

Robinson Checo, 1997

When then-general manager Dan Duquette signed Checo to a $925,000 deal in 1997, Duquette made it clear that the Sox expected a lot out of the pitcher. After all, Checo would be making almost nine times as much money as rising star Nomar Garciaparra, who was due $150,000 that season. But Checo never lived up to his contract. In his first start on Sept. 16, Checo lasted 4 1/3 innings while giving up four runs on six hits in an eventual 4-3 loss to the Yankees. The team was just 1-4 in games Checo pitched that September. The right-hander only pitched twice for the Red Sox in 1998, finishing his Red Sox career with a 1-3 record while giving up 13 runs in 21 innings of work.

Wilton Veras, 1999

In September 1999, the Red Sox called up the 21-year-old third baseman to replace John Valentin, who was on the DL with tendinitis. In his first game, Veras knocked in a run on a single (a second run scored on an error) and robbed the Royals’ Mike Sweeney of a bases-loaded hit with a leaping catch in the seventh inning. Veras played well throughout September and finished the season batting .288, but he never replicated his September success and played his last game in a Red Sox uniform on June 30, 2000. After bouncing around the minors. Veras has spent the past four seasons in China, showing some defensive prowess.

Freddy Sanchez, 2002

As a Red Sox prospect rising through the minors, a young Sanchez quickly made a name for himself. Sanchez hit around the .300 mark in each of his first three minor league seasons, earning himself a stint with the big club in September 2002. In his first at-bat with the Red Sox, Sanchez hit a two-run single, but it was all downhill from there. Sanchez finished the month batting .188. At the 2003 trade deadline, the Sox included Sanchez in a deal with the Pirates for Brandon Lyon, Anastacio Martinez and Jeff Suppan. By 2006, Sanchez was a star for the Pirates, winning the batting title with a .344 average. In 2010, Sanchez was a key component in the Giants’ World Series championship, giving him his day in the spotlight.

Craig Hansen, 2005

It usually takes a player years to rise through a team’s farm system, but Hansen did not care for the typical. The Red Sox drafted Hansen, who had been an elite closer at St. John’s University, in June 2005. In September, the Red Sox called him up for a stint with the big club. Hansen showed fans what the hype was all about in his first outing, striking out two in a perfect inning against the Devil Rays. The 6-foot-6 right-hander made three more appearances that September, impressing fans with a fastball that danced in the mid-90s. But after the 2005 season, Hansen never developed into the pitcher the Red Sox expected him to be and is now remembered as part of the three-team trade in 2008 that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and brought Jason Bay to Boston. Hansen’s career continued to decline in Pittsburgh and he had health issues as well. He was released by the Pirates in April at the age of 27.

Hanley Ramirez, 2005

In the waning years of Nomar Garciaparra’s tenure in Boston, many media members and scouts singled out Ramirez as the shortstop of the future for the Red Sox, despite concerns about his attitude. By the 2005 season, Nomar was gone and Edgar Renteria took over at shortstop, but Renteria’s performance was underwhelming at best as he made an astounding 30 errors during the 2005 season. In September, the Red Sox finally gave Ramirez a look with the big club. Ramirez appeared in just two games in a Boston uniform, striking out in his only two at-bats. After the season, the Red Sox traded Ramirez to the Marlins as part of a deal for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. Ramirez won Rookie of the Year in 2006 while Beckett and Lowell helped bring a World Series championship to Boston in 2007.

Clay Buchholz, 2007

Buchholz had been called up in August of 2007 for a spot start but then returned to Pawtucket. On Sept. 1, the Orioles were in town when the then-23-year-old returned to the majors. Buchholz made the start count, no-hitting the Orioles to become just the third pitcher in major league history to toss a no-no in either his first or second career start. Buchholz struck out nine that day while allowing just four baserunners (three walks, one hit batter) on 115 pitches. The right-hander’s prowess extended beyond that one start. Buchholz made four appearances at the end of that season, posting a 1.59 ERA and striking out 22 in 22 2/3 innings of work.

Jacoby Ellsbury, 2007

After two call-ups earlier in the season, Ellsbury joined the Red Sox for good on Sept. 1, 2007, and forced his way into the lineup for the rest of the season. Ellsbury started 23 games that September and played in 26, hitting .361 with 17 RBIs and eight stolen bases. He was named American League Rookie of the Month. While the Sox made a postseason run, Ellsbury played mostly as a defensive replacement for Manny Ramirez. But in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS against Cleveland, Ellsbury earned the start over struggling center fielder Coco Crisp, who was just 5-for-31 in the first eight playoff games. When Ellsbury collected a hit, a run and an RBI in a 12-2 Game 6 win, he earned a starting spot for the rest of the playoffs. Ellsbury hit .438 against the Rockies in the 2007 World Series with four doubles, three RBIs and a stolen base and was an important piece of the title-winning team.

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