The Philadelphia Phillies are on the search for some help in the outfield given some injuries that the team has had to overcome recently.
Starting right fielder Adolis Garcia suffered a season-ending lat injury that required surgery. Johan Rojas , who was ramping up in his return from an 80-game suspension, suffered an elbow injury that required an internal brace procedure.
The team has since acquired Derek Hill from the Chicago White Sox and has been giving a chance to Gabriel Rincones Jr. in right field. However, one player who will not have an opportunity with the Phillies at the Major League level is Dylan Carlson.
A first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2016 MLB Draft, Philadelphia has decided to release the veteran from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer on X.
Mar 17, 2026; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Dylan Carlson against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Sloan Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It doesn't come as too much of a surprise, given how little production he was providing at the plate. In 40 games and 153 plate appearances with the IronPigs, Carlson had a .181/.307/.307 slash line with four home runs, four doubles and 18 RBI.
It has been a struggle for him with the bat regardless of where he has been in 2026. He played in 10 games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs and had only seven hits in 44 plate appearances. A quick cameo was had with the Chicago Cubs , where he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
This would be three consecutive seasons for Carlson with a negative bWAR if he doesn't latch on anywhere else and get a chance in the Big Leagues. During the 2024 season, between the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays , he had -1.2 bWAR.
Last season, he was with the Baltimore Orioles and had -0.7 bWAR to go along with a .203/.278/.336 slash line, hitting six home runs and nine doubles.
Unfortunately, Carlson has been unable to replicate the excellent production he provided in 2021 when he was worth 3.2 bWAR and looking like a long-term building block for St. Louis . That was the only season his OPS+ was above the league average of 100, as he recorded a 115.
Still only 27 years old, there is a good chance that he will be picked up by another franchise in the near future. Not yet in his prime, some team could believe they have what it takes to coax the kind of production he showed earlier in his career out of him again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi as Phillies Release a Former First Round Pick From Triple-A .
