OAKLAND -- Robert Puason, ranked No. 4 on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 A's Prospects list, might get a shot to contribute in the Majors before officially playing a Minor League game.

With Sunday’s deadline for clubs to announce their 60-man player pools for the regular season approaching, sources told MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez that Puason will be among the players in that group for the A’s.

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It would be a long shot for Puason to actually make the Major League roster. The A’s already have Marcus Semien holding down the shortstop position along with Franklin Barreto and Jorge Mateo as versatile backup options. But at the very least, Puason’s inclusion in the pool allows the 17-year-old prospect to get valuable experience alongside Major League talent.

Rated No. 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Internationals Prospects list for 2019, the 6-foot-3 Puason signed with the A’s for a hefty $5.1 million bonus with high expectations as the club’s shortstop of the future, even drawing comparisons to former All-Star shortstop Tony Fernandez.

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Expected to join Puason in the pool is A’s No. 5 prospect Nick Allen, a source told MLB.com. Allen is considered to be a wizard with the glove at shortstop with perhaps the best defensive tools in the organization. He hit .292 with 22 doubles in 72 games last year for Class A Advanced Stockton, which is where the A’s expect to house their group of players not on the Major League roster for the upcoming season.