Just because a prospect is not immediately promoted to the majors when MLB rosters expand on Sept. 1 does not mean he is not still a candidate to be promoted over the final month of the season.

Case in point, the Texas Rangers did not call up Evan Carter until Sept. 8 last season, and he still went on to stake his claim to the starting left field job before unleashing an epic string of postseason heroics.

The Philadelphia Phillies likewise waited to promote reliever Orion Kerkering until Sept. 24, and he ended up making more appearances in the playoffs (7) than he did during the regular season (3).

Ahead we have highlighted 10 top prospects who could still receive a late promotion to the majors before the 2024 season comes to a close, giving them a chance to help with a playoff push or make a case for a 2025 Opening Day roster spot.

C Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves

Stats (AA/AAA): 112 G, .273/.371/.411, 30 XBH (14 HR), 81 RBI, 2 SB

The Atlanta Braves already have an established catching tandem in Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud, but teams often add a third catcher to the roster for the stretch run, and giving Drake Baldwin a chance to get his feet wet in the big leagues would be a nice way to reward him for a breakout season.

The 23-year-old has emerged as one of baseball's best catching prospects this year, and he has been particularly good since he was promoted to Triple-A on June 12, hitting .300/.420/.475 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI in 59 games.

With Murphy signed through 2028 and d'Arnaud controllable next year with an $8 million club option, the Braves don't have a clear path to playing time for Baldwin in 2025, but he has earned a call-up.

SP Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates

Stats (AA/AAA): 24 G, 21 GS, 3.24 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 37 BB, 130 K, 108.1 IP

The Pittsburgh Pirates already have one of baseball's most exciting young rotations thanks to the emergence of rookies Paul Skenes and Jared Jones this year, and there is another promising young arm on the horizon in Bubba Chandler.

A two-way player in high school and also a two-sport star who was committed to play baseball and football at Clemson, Chandler has taken off since turning his full attention to pitching. The Pirates were not shy about including Jones on their Opening Day roster this year, and giving Chandler a late-season look could pave the way for a similar rise next spring.

Nick Yorke could also get a late look in Pittsburgh, as he figures to be part of an open competition for the starting second base job with Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero and others.

1B Deyvison De Los Santos, Miami Marlins

Stats (AA/AAA): 121 G, .303/.353/.592, 62 XBH (37 HR), 109 RBI, 1 SB

Slugger Deyvison De Los Santos leads all minor leaguers with 37 home runs this season, and he is vying for playing time on a Miami Marlins team that ranks last in the National League and 29th in the majors with 3.78 runs per game.

So why hasn't he gotten the call?

The 21-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks, so he is still relatively new to the Miami organization, and he also has a limited defensive profile that leaves his future home somewhat in question.

However, after breaking out of a 3-for-20 slump on Thursday by going 2-for-4 with a home run, it's time to see if he can be a key piece of the puzzle from the jump in 2025.

OF Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees

Stats (A/AA/AAA): 55 G, .318/.379/.519, 20 XBH (11 HR), 34 RBI, 16 SB

The New York Yankees' continued faith in Alex Verdugo while a potentially dynamic replacement in Jasson Dominguez waits in the wings at Triple-A is a head-scratcher.

Verdugo is hitting .235/.293/.359 for an 83 OPS+ this season, and things went from bad to worse in August when he batted .204/.269/.280 with one home run in 104 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Dominguez has been raking since returning from an oblique strain on July 26, and he showed the type of impact he can make as a September call-up a year ago.

The 21-year-old has recorded nine multi-hit games since Aug. 20, and he is 5-for-9 with two home runs in his last two games.

The decision to stick with Verdugo is even more puzzling when you consider that he is a free agent at the end of the season and likely to depart in free agency, so the Yankees have no long-term investment in his success.

RP Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers

Stats (AA/AAA): 29 G, 21 GS, 3.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 59 BB, 119 K, 93.1 IP

With a towering 6'7" frame, a deceptive arm slot and a lethal fastball-slider combination, Jacob Misiorowski has some of the most overpowering stuff of any pitching prospect in baseball.

His command remains a work-in-progress, evidenced by his 14.7 percent walk rate this year, but with a fastball that regularly bumps triple-digits and a wipeout slider, he has the stuff to get out big league hitters right now.

The Brewers moved him to the bullpen in early August in what appeared to be preparation for his September role in the big leagues, but he has yet to get the call.

There is something to be said for limiting how many chances other teams get to see him, and the Philadelphia Phillies took a similar approach with Orion Kerkering last year as he did not make his MLB debut until Sept. 24 before earning a spot on the playoff roster.

SP Kumar Rocker, Texas Rangers

Stats (Rk/AA/AAA): 9 G, 8 GS, 1.71 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 4 BB, 47 K, 31.2 IP

This one is admittedly a bit of a long shot, but it's not out of the question to think Kumar Rocker could make his MLB debut before the 2024 season comes to a close.

Since returning from Tommy John surgery on July 7, Rocker has been absolutely shoving, and after five terrific starts at Double-A, he made his Triple-A debut on Aug. 28 with five scoreless innings of one-hit ball and 10 strikeouts.

Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young stopped short of completely ruling out the idea of a late call-up earlier this week.

"We're going to have him on an innings limit, as we would any pitcher who's coming off surgery," Young told reporters. "We want to be responsible. That said, this is tremendous progress, and we're just thrilled with where he is right now. ... That's just getting too far ahead right now though [when talking about the big leagues]. We just can't answer that question. He's had one Triple-A start. It's too far ahead."

With Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney all headed for free agency, the Rangers might want to get a look at Rocker down the stretch as they start to map out what the 2025 rotation might look like.

C/OF Dalton Rushing, Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats (AA/AAA): 102 G, .274/.388/.512, 43 XBH (22 HR), 76 RBI, 2 SB

The Los Angeles Dodgers has a history of introducing their top prospects to the big leagues as September call-ups, with Corey Seager (2015), Walker Buehler (2017), Alex Verdugo (2017) and Gavin Lux (2019) all getting their first taste of the majors after rosters expanded.

Dalton Rushing is making a compelling case to join that group.

The 23-year-old is hitting .284/.418/.511 with five doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI since he was promoted to Triple-A on Aug. 6, and he has been playing almost exclusively left field after getting most of his reps at catcher and designated hitter in Double-A.

With a healthy Tommy Edman settling in as the primary center fielder, Mookie Betts back to playing right field and Teoscar Hernández now manning left field, the Dodgers outfield looks whole for the first time all year.

However, Rushing is still capable of making an impact and staking claim to a bench spot for the playoffs.

2B/SS Thomas Saggese, St. Louis Cardinals

Stats (AAA): 122 G, .254/.317/.442, 45 XBH (20 HR), 65 RBI, 9 SB

Thomas Saggese joined the St. Louis Cardinals organization last year in the midst of a breakout season, coming over in the deal that sent Jordan Montgomery to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.

Saggese hit .306/.374/.530 with 34 doubles, 26 home runs, 111 RBI and 12 steals in 139 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and he has continued to show promising offensive upside at the highest level of the minors this year.

The seemingly stalled development of Nolan Gorman and decision to trade Tommy Edman has opened the door for him to potentially compete for the starting second base job next spring.

The Cardinals gave Masyn Winn an extended look down the stretch last year before handing him the starting shortstop job, so they could take a similar approach with Saggese over the final few weeks of the 2024 campaign.

3B Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs

Stats (AA/AAA): 106 G, .274/.373/.458, 33 XBH (17 HR), 60 RBI, 28 SB

The Chicago Cubs have five high-ceiling prospects knocking on the door for their first MLB promotion, with catcher Moises Ballesteros, infielders Matt Shaw and James Triantos, and outfielders Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara all currently suiting up for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

The fast-rising Shaw might be the first from that group to reach the majors, despite the fact that he was taken No. 13 overall in the 2023 draft and has just 144 minor league games under his belt.

The addition of Isaac Paredes at the trade deadline gives Shaw a less clear path to playing time, but the Cubs could also opt to use Paredes as the primary designated hitter once Shaw proves he's ready to be the everyday guy at the hot corner.

The 22-year-old has a 55-hit, 55-power offensive profile and the all-around polish to audition for a spot on the 2025 Opening Day roster.

OF Colby Thomas, Oakland Athletics

Stats (AA/AAA): 117 G, .275/.341/.555, 72 XBH (25 HR), 80 RBI, 14 SB

The Oakland Athletics have quietly assembled a promising young offensive core with Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Zack Gelof and Jacob Wilson all controllable for the next several years.

Outfielder Colby Thomas could be the next player to join that group thanks to a breakout season in the upper levels of the minors.

The 23-year-old has some of the best raw power in the minor leagues, and his 72 extra-base hits speak to his ability to make a major impact in the batter's box.

After cooling off a bit at the end of August, he is 5-for-13 with four doubles and one triple in his first four games to kick off September, and he could be ready to make his case to join Bleday and Butler in the 2025 outfield.