Cardinals: Could Friday night have been the turning point for Dylan Carlson?

Could Friday night have been the turning point for Dylan Carlson, the St. Louis Cardinals young and talented who has struggled in 2022?

Perhaps the most disappointing early season development for the St. Louis Cardinals has been the struggles of Dylan Carlson.

In what was expected to be a breakout season, a continuation of the season he had last year, Carlson has struggled to the point where a demotion to Triple-A was potentially in the cards if things didn’t get better. Entering Friday, he was hitting .200/.260/.278 with a .538 OPS, zero home runs and only four RBI.

On Friday, he entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants. As a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, he lined a single to left center field to score Brendan Donavan to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. They ultimately sealed the game and it makes you wonder: was this the turning point for Carlson?

It’s possible. For any struggling hitter, having an at-bat like that – especially one that gives your team the win – after such a long period of struggles has to feel good. Especially for Carlson, who has been fighting his own swing, and working with Albert Pujols and hitting coaches most days to get back to the level he was at last season when he was widely regarded as one of the top young outfielders in baseball.

For the Cardinals, getting Carlson back to that level is critical. They are 16-10 entering Saturday, but trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games, and they once again look like a dominant team in the National League Central.

To catch the Brewers, the Cardinals will need all hands on deck. That means getting Jack Flaherty back healthy. That means the offense breaks out of its struggles with hitting home runs. It means the bullpen continues this level of performance. But it especially means Carlson breaks out of his early season slump.

And Friday night could have been the start of it.