A week after he was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays after spending eight years in the Cardinals system, Dylan Carlson stood in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Busch Stadium and took a moment to reflect on what stood out during his time in Ƶ. He followed that with a look to the future.
“There are the opening days. There is the first curtain call. Different things like that,” Carlson said on Tuesday. “I made my debut here with no fans. It was a little different. There were some good times, but I’m really looking forward to what’s ahead.”
Carlson — a former first-round pick and top prospect in the Cardinals system — was dealt to the Rays ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Carlson debuted with the Cardinals at 21 years old during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting after his first full campaign in 2021, when he hit .266 with a .780 on-base plus slugging percentage and 18 homers.
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The switch-hitting outfielder was an opening day starter for the Cardinals in 2021 and 2022 before his 2023 and 2024 seasons were marred by injury and a search for consistency at the plate. Carlson had earned 2024 the starting center field job for opening day after injuries kept outfielders Tommy Edman, who was dealt to the Dodgers last week, and Lars Nootbaar shelved.
But in the second-to-last spring training game, Carlson suffered a right shoulder sprain following an outfield collision with right fielder Jordan Walker that delayed his start to the season until May 5. Carlson batted .198 in 59 games upon his return and had seen his opportunities shrink in a crowded outfield mix.
“In talking to him right before he got traded, and then even after he got traded, you never want to see anybody go but you also know that it’s an opportunity that he’s going to be potentially given there that will allow him to actually show his skill set and do some things,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “With the combination of guys that we currently have, that wasn’t one that was going to be given here, so we just have other guys that have been in the lineup ... that are doing a nice job.
“It was good conversations. And even throughout the years with him, he’s been really good with me. Hopefully, this allows him to actually get in there more often and show what he’s capable of doing.”
Carlson described himself as “excited” to continue receiving an opportunity to play at the big league level. He said he had focused on staying as healthy as he could over the past two years to perform as best as he could when playing time came his way.
A week after the deal was made, Carlson has appeared in three games for the Rays and gone 2 for 8 at the plate. The first hit of his career with the Rays came in the form of a two-run home run that marked his first home run of 2024 and his first since June 20, 2023.
“Any time you go somewhere else, first impressions are important,” said Carlson, who did not start in Monday’s series opener at Busch Stadium.
With a major league organization other than the Cardinals for the first time in his career, Carlson looks at the new scenery as one with “a different thought process” and a “different sort of style.”
Despite all that’s changed around him in his last week and the struggles to find consistency over the past two years, the 25-year-old feels his mentality has held firm.
“I’m still confident in my abilities. I know it’s in there,” Carlson said. “I battled some injuries and different things like that throughout my time. Ultimately, you still feel confident. You’ve got to be confident to play in this league.”
Extra bases
Michael Siani received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Monday night for the oblique strain that landed him on the 10-day injured list on Sunday. Siani said he does not have a clear timeline for when he could return but noted that he managed to get in “minimal” rehab work on Tuesday including work in the weight room to test out the injury. Siani said he’d be reevaluated two days after the injection to see how the injury reacts.
- Class AAA infielder Thomas Saggese and Class Low-A right-hander Jose Davila were named the top Cardinals prospect performers for July. Saggese earned Cardinals minor league player of the month, while Davila was named Cardinals minor league pitcher of the month. Saggese, 22, batted .349 with six doubles and four home runs, producing a .990 OPS in 22 games for Class AAA Memphis during July. Davila, 21, went 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and struck out 33 batters across 25 innings across July for Class Low-A Palm Beach.
- Former Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins and was assigned to Class AAA St. Paul.
- Reliever Jacob Bosiokovic was outrighted to Memphis after he was designated for assignment on Saturday and removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster.