Dylan

Carlson

Carlson will stick around with the Cubs as emergency outfield depth after a brief stint in the majors to open the season. The 27-year-old got into three games and went 0-for-4 at the dish.

Carlson was hitless in four at-bats for the Cubs in early-season going and scored one run. After a .203/.278/.336 performance for the Orioles in 2025, Carlson is unlikely to find his way into regular at bats in a major league lineup no matter where he plays next.

Carlson winds up with a spot on Chicago’s season-opening roster with Seiya Suzuki (knee) requiring a trip to the injured list. The 27-year-old former top prospect has bounced around the past couple seasons. He hit .203 with six homers in 83 games for the Orioles last year.

With Seiya Suzuki (knee) landing on the injured list, there was a spot on the Opening Day roster. Carlson hit .304/.429/.413 in 56 plate appearances this spring with one home run and seven runs scored. He will strictly be a backup until Suzuki returns.

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.