Sorry Cardinals, Dylan Carlson only needed two games with Rays to hit first HR of season

The St. Louis Cardinals accomplished their goals at the trade deadline, which were to acquire a starting pitcher and an outfielder. Luckily for them, they only had to contact the Chicago White Sox to land Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham, with a little help from the Los Angeles Dodgers to send away Tommy Edman. But with Pham entering the outfield fray, that meant there were only so many spots left.

So, Dylan Carlson was effectively left out of the fold. After the trade went through, Carlson expressed his desire to play. The Cardinals helped Carlson out, as they traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handed pitcher Shawn Armstrong. The Rays, under manager Kevin Cash, are known for getting the most out of their players, even turning them into All-Stars. Well, Carlson got off to a great start.

On Friday, in his second game with the Rays, Carlson crushed a two-run homer off Houston Astros pitcher and trade deadline acquisition Yusei Kikuchi in the first inning. Not only was this Carlson's first home run with the Rays, but also his first of the entire season!

Dylan Carlson hits first home run of the season in second game with Rays

That has to sting for Cardinals fans. But hey, they can join the Chicago Cubs faithful, who are watching Christopher Morel become a slugging machine for the Rays immediately after getting dealt.

Carlson hasn't been the same player as he was back in 2021, where he finished in third place for NL Rookie of the Year. Carlson has suffered a variety of injuries as of late. This season, Carlson suffered a shoulder injury late in spring training, causing him to miss all of April, and served as a depth/bench option for the Cardinals once returning.

Before arriving to Tampa, Carlson recorded a .198 batting average, a .275 on-base percentage, a .240 slugging percentage, zero home runs, 11 RBI, 12 runs, 24 hits, 37 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 121 at-bats.

While Carlson has seen early success with his new team, that doesn't mean the Cardinals are suffering. Pham crushed a grand slam in his very first at-bat back with the Cardinals immediately after the trade deadline.

But let the record show that Carlson has his first home run of the 2024 season, and it didn't happen while wearing a Cardinals uniform.