Phillies Cut Ties With 7-Year MLB Outfielder Amid Brutal Slump

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 16: A detail view of a Philadelphia Phillies logo on a batting donut on the on deck circle against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 16, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)

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The Philadelphia Phillies have had a hard time landing long-term outfield solutions in recent years, frequently cycling through a number of potential answers throughout the organization.

While rookie Justin Crawford could change things and Brandon Marsh is now enjoying an All-Star season, not every gamble has paid off. The team released Nick Castellanos before this season started, while younger options like Johan Rojas, Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson have all failed to seize everyday opportunities.

Now the team has officially ended its experiment with another outfield option, as it cut ties with former first-round pick Dylan Carlson following a brief and disappointing stretch in Triple-A.

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"The Phillies released OF Dylan Carlson, who batted .181 with four doubles, four homers, and a .614 OPS in 153 plate appearances in Triple-A,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber reported on X, formerly Twitter.

The release closed another chapter in what has become a difficult career arc for Carlson, who entered professional baseball with high expectations before struggling to recapture the production that once made him one of the National League's most intriguing rising stars.

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The Phillies signed Carlson as a depth option hoping a change of scenery might unlock some of the promise he showed earlier in his career.

"Carlson, 27, was once one of the game’s top prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals system,” NBC Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury reported when the Phillies first signed Carlson. “He was the 33rd overall pick in the 2016 draft and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 when he hit .266 with 18 homers, 65 RBIs and a .780 OPS for the Cards.”

But after that impressive start, Carlson’s offensive production waned and he appeared in just three big-league games for the Chicago Cubs this season before he was released and scooped up by the Phillies.

“The switch-hitter failed to build on that (rookie) season and eventually moved on to Tampa Bay, Baltimore and the Chicago Cubs,” Salisbury added. “He appeared in three games with the Cubs this season and was released from their Triple-A club earlier this month."

Carlson’s background and a persistent lack of outfield depth explain why the Phillies were willing to take a chance on him despite declining performance in the batter’s box. In a reasonable sample size in the minors, he was unable to reward the team for taking that chance.

At just 27 years old, though, he could enjoy some new opportunities to make it back to the big leagues ahead. But it appears that a return won’t come in Philadelphia.