How many games (or how much service time) is needed to start the arbitration clock?

For instance, if I have a top prospect currently in AAA, is there a point in the season I can call him up to the Majors and it not impact his number of seasons until he hits arbitration? Maybe the expansion of rosters date?

Thanks for any help.

I wait 22 MLB games....and I think that is a couple of days longer than needed.

If you expect to compete, holding a player back 20 games is dumb.   That's 1/8 of a season.  A lot of teams finish 1-2 games out of the playoffs in good worlds.

If you don't expect to compete, bring him up next season.

Example:

I thought I'd stink in S34.   Shockingly, I was in the hunt.   So I called up Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Alex Valdes and made the playoffs. By winning a tie-breaker.    I have no idea what that will do to his service time, arb clock or whatever else you people worry about.   But I made he crushed it and I was in the playoffs.   Which, to me, is sort of the point of the game.   I'll worry about 2017 when it gets here.

How on earth did You get Valdez with the 22nd pick?

The owners in Mantle seem to pass over the players with warts in the first round.   Valdes can't catch and his VR is mediocre.    I got Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Damaso Gandarillas at 31 in the same world because of his low health(I assume).