Dylan

Carlson

The Cubs haven’t confirmed Carlson is on the team like they did Michael Conforto, but it still seems to be the likely outcome at this point. Carlson has hit .341/.460/.463 in 50 plate appearances this month. But then he hit .321/.500/.571 for the Orioles last spring and didn’t follow that with much of anything.

McCormick seems to have fallen behind Dylan Carlson in the battle for a spot on the Cubs bench, so this will help. Carlson went 0-for-3 batting one spot ahead of him today. The winner of the competition will likely see occasional starts against lefties.

The former top prospect opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI double off of José Soriano in the top half of the first inning. He then added a run-scoring single in the fourth inning that extended the Cubs’ lead to 4-1. He’s facing an uphill battle at earning a spot on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, but is off to a terrific start — hitting .500 (4-for-8) with a couple of RBI and a 2/3 K/BB ratio.

Carlson also drew a walk. The former top prospect signed as a non-roster invite in January, and he’ll need to have a heck of a spring training if he’s going to make the Opening Day roster. At this point, it’s hard to see Carlson being more than roster fodder.

The 27-year-old former top prospect elected free agency from the Orioles back in November after slashing a meager .203/.278/.336 with six home runs and three stolen bases in 265 plate appearances. While another change of scenery may be just what he needs to get his career back on track, Carlson can be ignored for fantasy purposes at this stage.

Carlson batted .203/.278/.336 with six homers and three steals in 83 games for the Orioles this past season, mostly in a reserve role. The 27-year-old former top prospect figures to continue receiving big-league opportunities as a reclamation project.

Carlson was responsible for the only two runs the Orioles were able to score off Jason Alexander with a homer off Alexander in the fifth. That roundtripper is his sixth, while the triple was his first since joining the Orioles in the offseason. Carlson has been ever-so-ineffective in 2025, but there are just enough games like to occasionally get your hopes up.

They’re batting eighth and ninth behind first baseman Coby Mayo. Carlson should eventually be replaced by Dylan Beavers, but until the Orioles make the move, he’ll probably be a starting outfielder. Jackson is the best pick on the roster for the DH spot at the moment, but that’ll change once Ryan Mountcastle is activated, something that’ll probably happen no later than Monday.

Carlson provides Baltimore with some additional outfield depth, which is going to be necessary once they decide to move onto veterans like Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano at the upcoming trade deadline. The 26-year-old former top prospect figures to continue getting chances at the highest level, but he’s struggled to a pedestrian .650 OPS in 41 games this season with the Orioles.

Carlson has struggled to a .650 OPS over 118 plate appearances with the Orioles, and will head back to Triple-A. It seems likely that Tyler O’Neill (shoulder) will be activated off the injured list Friday to take Carlson’s place on the roster.