​The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled in recent years to lock in a stable, long-term solution in left and center field, continually cycling through a slate of hopefuls as they search for consistency and production. While rookie Justin Crawford might provide a spark and Brandon Marsh has flashed All-Star potential this season, not every gamble has paid off as hoped. The organization made the tough call of letting go of Nick Castellanos before the current season began, and up-and-coming talents such as Johan Rojas, Otto Kemp, and Weston Wilson have not yet seized everyday opportunities to cement their place on the roster.
Now the team has officially ended its latest experiment at a key outfield position, parting ways with former first-round pick Dylan Carlson after a short and disappointing stint in Triple-A. The Phillies released Carlson after he batted just .181 with four doubles, four home runs and a .614 OPS across 153 plate appearances at the minor-league level, as reported by Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. This move marks another chapter in Carlson’s challenging career arc, a path that began with high expectations but has struggled to recapture the early production that once marked him as one of the game’s most intriguing rising stars in the National League.
When the Phillies signed Carlson, the hope was that a change of scenery could unlock the promise he showed earlier in his days as a top prospect. Carlson, now 27, had been regarded as one of the Cardinals’ brightest prospects, selected 33rd overall in the 2016 draft. He finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021, slashing .266/.328/.442 with 18 home runs, 65 RBIs and a .780 OPS in his first full season in St. Louis. Yet after that encouraging start, his offensive numbers slipped, and his major-league opportunities dwindled. He appeared in only three big-league games for the Chicago Cubs this season before being released, after which the Phillies claimed him as a depth option with the expectation that a new environment might rekindle his earlier form.
Reporting from NBC Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury underscored how Carlson’s career arc had unfolded: a switch-hitter who failed to sustain the momentum of his rookie season, eventually moving on through stints with the Rays, the Rays’ organization, the Orioles, and the Cubs. He played three games for the Cubs this season and was released from their Triple-A affiliate earlier in the month. Carlson’s background, combined with ongoing questions about the Phillies’ outfield depth, helps explain why the club was willing to roll the dice on him despite waning performance at the plate. In a fair amount of minor-league time, he did not produce enough to justify a long-term reward for the organization.
At 27, Carlson may have opportunities ahead to resurface and reestablish himself at the major-league level, but those potential doors are unlikely to open in Philadelphia. The Phillies’ decision to move on reflects a broader trend within a team still searching for a dependable, everyday contributor in their outfield mix. As the organization continues to navigate these personnel decisions, the goal remains to identify a stable core that can deliver consistent results and help the team contend in a challenging division.