I don't think we're talking about conserving usage. EVERYONE needs to do that. That's just good roster management, and we all do it. Chris Peters and Carl Pavano this season (1998 season stats) are good examples. They won't be in ANYONE's rotation from start to finish.

What we're talking about is a case where a player with plenty of usage (a Greg Maddux, Tony Clark, etc) is left on the farm without being injured. The Braves would never send Maddux down, no matter how far out of the race they were. Losing would move them up in the June amateur draft. But you don't see them do it. Ditto Clark. The Tigers bite (sorry Detroit fans), but Tony Clark plays 155+ games and up year after year. No move for a better pick there.

Playing rookies when you're out of the race is another major league common practice. They want to see what rookies can do. In our case, we know (the stats and rating are there already).