Phillies sign 27-year-old to bolster outfield depth

The Philadelphia Phillies outfield depth has been rather thin this season, so thin that one could count on one hand the number of reliable outfielders they have. With little depth in the minor leagues, the Phillies decided to sign outfielder and former St. Louis Cardinal Dylan Carlson to give them someone who could help the big-league club. 

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, the deal is a minor league contract, and Carlson will report to Triple-A Leigh Valley. Carlson, 27, had spent this season in the Chicago Cubs system and had appeared in three games for the Cubbies this season.

The Cubs released Carlson on May 4. In 10 games with the Iowa Cubs, Carlson batted .175 with a .600 OPS. Carlson's best season came with the Cardinals in 2021 when he batted .266 with a .780 OPS and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Phillies have signed OF Dylan Carlson to a minor league contract. He will go to Lehigh Valley

Dylan Carlson will add to the Philadelphia Phillies outfield depth

The Phillies outfield has consisted of Brandon Marsh (.353) in left field, Justin Crawford (.276) in center field, and Adolis Garcia (.240) in right field. Outfielder/first baseman Felix Reyes has played seven games for the Phillies in left and right field this season, but is not a natural outfielder. 

Reyes has also not hit well enough with the bat -- Reyes is batting .139 with a .389 OPS in 11 games -- to receive consistent looks in the outfield.

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On the 40-man roster, the Phillies have infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp and Steward Berroa as options. Kemp started the season with the Phillies, but was optioned to Leigh Valley after receiving little playing time. 

Carlson's ability to play all three outfield spots well will be valuable. His ability to switch hit will also give the Phillies some flexibility in the lineup if they choose to add him to the 40-man roster to replace Reyes at some point. 

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