10 MLB players face important Septembers: Bryce Harper, Matt Olson, Yankees and Dodgers starters, more

Welcome to the final month of the Major League Baseball regular season. The next few weeks promise plenty of exciting action as the teams Jockey for the playoff placement and most players in the league are trying to end their year on a high note. For some players, however, September isn't just about the mood; it's about preparing for the postseason and having a chance to win the game's most valuable prize.

With that in mind, here at CBS Sports we wanted to highlight 10 players from contending teams who have an important September ahead of them for one reason or another. In some cases, it's because the player needs to correct course after a stretch of poor play; in other cases, it's because of what he means to his club in a larger context; and in some cases, it's about demonstrating health. Whatever the case, we'll be paying special attention to these 10 players over the next few weeks.

Scroll along with us as we go over each player and their situation in a handy short format. (Note that the players are presented in no particular order.) Next.

Harper has had a brilliant season overall, but he's not far off a July that was also the worst month of his career. (He posted an OPS of .598 in 17 games.) Harper's hitting power has also disappeared since late June, as he hit just two home runs in his last 32 games. For comparison, he hit at least six home runs in each of the first three months of the season. Harper admitted over the weekend that He suffers from pain in his wrist and elbowIf the Phillies want to win the NL East and seriously contend for the championship, Harper will have to get back to his hitting power soon.

Tucker hasn't played since early June due to a severe bruised right shin. However, he's close to returning to the field and the Astros can't do it soon enough. Houston has tried time and time again to replace Tucker's performance, but they've found few workable solutions. In our opinion, that says more about Tucker's performance than anything else. He'll have a few weeks to shake off the rust and learn to deal with the lingering pain in his shin before the big lights come on in October.

From one injured star after an extended absence to another, Yamamoto is recovering from the strained triceps that plagued him for much of the summer. Before being benched, he had recovered from a rocky first start and established himself as one of the best pitchers in the league. The Dodgers can only hope that Yamamoto returns strong – and that he stays healthy until the playoffs.

We have to admit, Erceg seems like an odd choice for a number of reasons. Bear with us. The Royals' bullpen hasn't been great this season (at the time of this writing, they rank 25th in ERA) and they're chasing what could be their first division title since 2015. That combination could convince manager Matt Quatraro to use Erceg more often than he'd like, which in turn would put a lot on Erceg's plate — in terms of workload and the likelihood of a championship. We'll note that at the time of this writing, Erceg (who was day-to-day after suffering a hand injury last week) has only played two consecutive games since joining the Royals at the deadline. If we had to guess, that wouldn't stay that way for long.

Darvish is another veteran who will use September to get in postseason shape after missing the final three months of the season. His absence was due to a combination of injury and an undisclosed personal matter. The Padres likely envision Darvish as part of their playoff rotation alongside Dylan Cease, Joe Musgrove and Michael King. First, though, they need to see Darvish play as well as he did before he was traded, when he posted a 128 ERA+ in his first 11 games.

Olson, who finished in the top five in voting for the NL Most Valuable Player Award less than a year earlier, was having a poor season. He went a month without an OPS above .800 until he returned to more of his usual form in August. The Braves' weakened lineup – one without Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley – could use a strong finish from Olson if they want to overtake the Phillies in the East, not to mention their preseason World Series title aspirations.

Remember when Kwan flirted with a .400 average in late June? So much for that. Since early July, his batting average has been well below .250, which is problematic for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that, despite setting a new career-high in home runs, his game is still based on producing singles. Kwan's slump has coincided with low periods for much of the Guardians' lineup. We can't say many of Kwan's peers have high hopes of turning things around, but he's established himself enough that we have to believe better days are coming – and before early October.

If you haven't been following the reigning NL champions closely, you've missed a brilliant streak from Nelson's pitching. He's made three consecutive quality starts, including a showpiece against the Phillies. Nelson has pitched so well lately that the Diamondbacks decided to keep him in the rotation and move Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen. Now it's up to Nelson to fight for a spot in a playoff rotation that should also include Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez. His biggest competition? Brandon Pfaadt, who had a great streak of his own from pitching last fall.

9. Carlos Rodon, LHP, Yankees

It's fair to say that, by and large, Rodón hasn't quite lived up to the expectations the Yankees had for him when they signed him in the winter of 2022-23. He's had his moments, though, including a recent stretch where he's fluctuated between good and not so good. The Yankees need Rodón — and at least one other starter, really — to step up in the final month of the season if they want to have a good chance of keeping the AL East division lead and perhaps making a serious run at a major title.

We can all agree that something would have to go terribly wrong for the Brewers to lose the NL Central. If they are to seriously contend for a championship, other things have to go right. That includes Hoskins finding his swing again. He started the season well, but in two of the last three months he posted an OPS around .600. With Christian Yelich out for the year, the Brewers will need other hitters to make up for his absence. Hoskins is a prime candidate to do that.