Is Chase Headley worth a pickup?

Finally.

After a sackful of rumors for weeks, the San Diego Padres have called up their most heralded prospect in Chase Headley on Saturday.

Only, they haven't added him to the roster yet.

Scott Hairston hyperextended his left elbow and the Padres are waiting to see if he lands on the DL, which would keep them from having to send Justin Huber or Paul McAnulty back to AAA Portland.

But that's not important.

What you need to know is whether Headley is worth a pickup. And here's where I come in.

OK, not exactly. I can't predict the future. But there are a few things you should know about Headley's playing time.

Headley will not be playing 3B, as he came up through the minors, as Kevin Kouzmanoff is not going anywhere. There was talk in the offseason of moving Kouz to LF to make room for Headley at 3B, but the Ryan Braun-like switch doesn't appear happening this season.

That leaves Headley battling Brian Giles, Hairston and Jody Gerut for at-bats. Gerut has actually been a pleasant Petco surprise, batting .289 with 3 HR. Hariston has struggled getting on base, hitting .231, but has 9 HR before the elbow injury. Giles will play almost every day, especially hitting .311.

Translation: Headley should get regular playing time, so long as he hits close to the .301 lifetime average he showed in the minors.

His 20-HR season in AA San Antonio in 2007 cranked up the hype machine and Headley's 10 homers in Portland show his 20-HR potential is about what we can expect with regular at-bats.

If there's any weak link or underperformer right now in 10-team mixed leagues or bigger, Headley's probably worth a gamble. All NL-only formats should swoop him up (I suspect he's long gone, if your league has a pulse).

Headley will be officially added to the Padres Tuesday as the New York series begins. But remember, he'll still hit in spacious Petco Park, which is several picnics away from the Pacific Coast League.

Proceed with caution, but Headley's the last of the expected call-ups and there may not be a true impact rookie to get a cup of coffee until September.