2 climbers and 2 tumblers on the St. Louis Cardinals' depth chart

Falling: Dylan Carlson, OF

Dylan Carlson, once a top Cardinals prospect and still only 24 years old, has seen his playing time dwindle as issues hitting right-handed pitching continue to hamper him. It appears Alec Burleson has leapfrogged Carlson to be the fourth outfielder, and Carlson might not have much leeway remaining on the team.

Although the rumors that Carlson was the player who held up the Juan Soto trade have proven to be exaggerated, the Cardinals have nevertheless seemed to sour on Carlson. Hitting left-handed, against right-handed pitchers, Carlson is batting .182 in 23 plate appearances. In the game on April 16, Carlson, batting left-handed, was instructed to bunt with the winning run on first base and one out. Such a decision would seem unfathomable even last year.

Carlson has slipped into the fifth outfielder role and might be best deployed as a platoon outfielder against left-handed starters. It's quite the slide for a player who accrued a decent amount of excitement for his debut a few years ago.