Dylan James Carlson (born October 23, 1998) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. Selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

, Carlson became one of the top prospects in baseball before making his MLB debut in 2020. He became the team's starting right fielder in 2021 and was a finalist for

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

. The Cardinals traded him to the Rays in 2024.

Amateur career

Carlson attended Elk Grove High School in

Elk Grove, California Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Located just south of the state capital of Sacramento, it is part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 176,124. A 2021 C ...

where he played baseball under his father, Jeff, and was teammates with

Nick Madrigal Nicklaus Michael Madrigal (born March 5, 1997) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs. Madrigal played c ...

Rowdy Tellez Ryan John "Rowdy" Tellez ( ; born March 16, 1995) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pitts ...

Dom Núñez Dominic Manuel Núñez (born January 17, 1995) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). Núñez was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB draft, and he ...

, and Derek Hill. He began playing on the

varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

as a 14-year-old freshman. As a senior, he batted .407 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 36 games and pitched to a 6–0 record with a 1.44 ERA.

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

Minor leagues

Despite not being considered or named a Top 200 prospect for the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft by

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports colum ...

, Carlson was selected by the

in the first round, with the 33rd overall pick. He rescinded his college commitment to

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

and agreed to a signing bonus of $1.35 million, which was $550,500 under the slot value. Carlson made his professional debut that same year with the

Gulf Coast League Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals or FCL Cardinals are a rookie league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. ...

, batting .251 with three home runs and 22 RBI in 50 games. Carlson spent 2017 with the

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Pe ...

where he

slashed Ash are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. As a three-piece, they released mini-album '' Trailer'' in 1994 and full-lengt ...

.240/.342/.347 with seven home runs and 42 RBI in 115 games. He began the 2018 season with Peoria, and after batting .234 with two home runs and nine RBI in 13 games, was promoted to the

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roge ...

. Carlson finished the year with Palm Beach, slashing .247/.345/.386 with nine home runs and 53 RBI in 99 games. Carlson began the 2019 season with the

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began pl ...

. He was named a

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

All-Star and participated in the Home Run Derby. In July, he represented the Cardinals in the 2019

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

alongside

Nolan Gorman Nolan Brian Gorman (born May 10, 2000) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Gorman was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school in ...

. After slashing .281/.364/.518 with 21 home runs, 59 RBI, and 18 stolen bases over 108 games with Springfield, he was promoted to the

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbird ...

in August. Following his promotion, Carlson was named the Texas League Player of the Year. He played in 18 games with Memphis, batting .361 with five home runs and nine RBIs. Over a total of 126 games between Springfield and Memphis, Carlson slashed .292/.372/.542 with 26 home runs, 68 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. He was originally selected to play in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

for the

Glendale Desert Dogs The Glendale Desert Dogs are a baseball team that plays in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. They play their home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The ballpark is also the spring training facility of the Chicago White S ...

following the season, but it was later announced he would not be participating.

Major leagues

The Cardinals promoted Carlson to the major leagues on August 15, 2020, and he made his MLB debut that day against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. On August 23, he hit his first career home run. He finished the 2020 season slashing .200/.252/.364 with three home runs and 16 RBIs over 35 games. Carlson returned in 2021 as St. Louis' starting center fielder, taking over for the injured

Harrison Bader Harrison Joseph Bader (born June 3, 1994), nicknamed "Tots", is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees ...

. When Bader returned from the injured list, Carlson moved to

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

. On April 7, 2021, he hit his first career

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

against

Zach Pop Zachery Michael Pop (born September 20, 1996) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. Career Amateur Pop at ...

of the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

LoanDepot Park LoanDepot Park (officially stylized as loanDepot park, and named Marlins Park until 2021) is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on ...

. Carlson finished the 2021 season with 542

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

s over 149 games, slashing .266/.343/.437 with 18 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 31 doubles. He was a finalist for the

National League Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

, alongside

Jonathan India Jonathan Joseph India (born December 15, 1996) is an American professional baseball infielder and left fielder for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds. While playing col ...

and Trevor Rogers. Carlson opened the 2022 season as the club's starting right fielder. In late May, he was placed on the injured list with a hamstring injury. He was activated in early June. Carlson hit the final of a record-tying four consecutive home runs between teammates on July 2, 2022, the 11th such occurrence in major league history. At

Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park is a baseball stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the city's South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Home to Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies, the stadium opened April 3, 2004. It is named after Citizens Financi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Nolan Arenado Nolan James Arenado (; born April 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arenado is widely recognized as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. He is ...

Juan Yepez Juan David Yepez (born February 19, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in the Washington Nationals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals. Career A ...

and Carlson all homered off

Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

starter

Kyle Gibson Kyle Benjamin Gibson (born October 23, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Philadelphi ...

with two outs in the first inning. It was the first time that the Cardinals had accomplished the feat, and the first time that it occurred in the first inning. In early September, Carlson was placed on the injured list with a thumb sprain before being activated a little over a week later. Over 432 at-bats in 128 games, he slashed .236/.316/.380 with eight home runs, 42 RBI, and 30 doubles. In 2023, Carlson played in 76 games for St. Louis, batting .219/.318/.333 with five home runs, 27 RBI, and three stolen bases. On August 12, 2023, Carlson was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain and left ankle injury. On September 13, manager

Oliver Marmol Oliver Jose Marmol (born July 2, 1986) is an American professional baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). As of the 2025 season, he is the youngest manager of an MLB te ...

announced that Carlson would undergo season–ending surgery on his left ankle.

2024

Carlson led the team in Spring Training with three home runs and 13 RBIs, before a collision with right fielder Jordan Walker with both chasing a fly ball on March 25. Carlson suffered an injury to his left shoulder after falling hard on the warning track after the collision, also hurting his hip and ankle. An MRI exam that night revealed damage to his left shoulder, putting him on the IL for a few weeks. In 59 games for the Cardinals, he batted .198/.275/.240 with no home runs and 11 RBI.

Tampa Bay Rays

On July 30, 2024, the Cardinals traded Carlson to the

in exchange for

Shawn Armstrong Shawn Michael Armstrong (born September 11, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, ...

. In 37 games for Tampa Bay, he slashed .219/.299/.316 with three home runs, 14 RBI, and two stolen bases. On November 22, the Rays non-tendered Carlson, making him a free agent.

Baltimore Orioles

On January 27, 2025, Carlson signed a one-year, $975,000 contract with the

. He was optioned to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

to begin the season. The Orioles called him up on March 31, following an injury to Colton Cowser, then again on April 26, as former Cardinals teammate

Tyler O'Neill Tyler Alan O'Neill (born June 22, 1995) is a Canadian professional baseball outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. He has represented ...

went on the injured list.

Personal life

Carlson's younger brother, Tanner, played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

and

Long Beach State Dirtbags The Long Beach State Dirtbags baseball team is the college baseball program that represents California State University, Long Beach. Although all Long Beach State sports teams are officially known as the Beach, the baseball team is typically refe ...

. Their father, Jeff, coached them in high school. Their mother, Caryn, is a breast cancer survivor.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Dylan 1998 births Living people Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Sacramento County, California Gulf Coast Cardinals players Major League Baseball outfielders Memphis Redbirds players Norfolk Tides players Palm Beach Cardinals players Peoria Chiefs players Sportspeople from Elk Grove, California Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players Tampa Bay Rays players