Once a top prospect, Dylan Carlson is dominating spring training, aiming for an Opening Day roster spot on the Cubs, battling injuries and slumps.
There is no Chicago Cubs player off to a better start this spring than outfielder Dylan Carlson.
The Cubs signed Carlson to a Minor League deal earlier this offseason to compete for that final outfield spot on the Opening Day roster. This move was viewed as a low-risk, high-reward by the front office.
There’s no doubt that Carlson has struggled to make an impact in recent seasons. The switch-hitting outfielder has hit a combined .210 with 14 home runs and 72 RBI over the past three years.
He hit .219 with five home runs and 27 RBI across 76 games in 2023, batted .209 with three home runs and 25 RBI across 96 games in 2024, and had a .203 batting average with six home runs and 20 RBI across 83 games last year.
On top of those hitting struggles, Carlson has had a hard time staying healthy. The former first-round pick missed over 80 games due to an ankle injury in 2023 and missed the start of the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury.
However, the Cubs obviously saw something in him to give him a shot. He was once a top prospect in all of baseball and is just a few years removed from an 18-home run, 65-RBI campaign in 2021.
Carlson has proven in the early portion of Spring Training that he deserves a shot at making the roster out of camp. He has been one of the Cubs' best hitters to start the spring.
The 27-year-old is batting .500 (8-for-16) at the plate with two doubles, two RBI, five walks, and three strikeouts across 21 plate appearances this spring. He has a 25% walk rate, a 15% strikeout rate, a 14.3% whiff rate, and a 6.2% swinging strike rate.
Those are extremely solid numbers for a player who came into the spring fighting for a roster spot. He is currently battling it out with Kevin Alcantara, Chas McCormick, Justin Dean, and Michael Conforto to make the Opening Day roster.
His strong start should give him the inside edge at winning that fourth outfield spot. He has been the most productive hitter out of the bunch through the first 12 games of the spring and is likely the favorite to win that job right now.
The Cubs will definitely be keeping a close eye on Carlson over the next few weeks. He’ll have every opportunity to continue showing his potential. If he continues to hit the ball well, the team will have no choice but to include him on the Opening Day roster.