Dylan Carlson has been an instant hit for Tampa Bay Rays' offense

As it turns out, Tampa Bay's move at the very end of the deadline to get Dylan Carlson from the St. Louis Cardinals may have the most beneficial one so far. His production on offense has been noticeable and a big help to the Rays during a grueling month of August.

Since joining Tampa Bay, Carlson has played in 14 games and has posted 41 at-bats. During that stretch, his batting average sits at .293 and his on-base percentage is at .383. He also has been a big part of scoring runs for the team this month with three home runs and nine RBI. He is second in RBI and tied for first in home runs for Tampa Bay in August. Carlson has been producing just as much as Brandon Lowe has offensively.

Dylan Carlson has been an instant hit for Rays after MLB trade deadline

Prior to coming to St. Pete, Carlson was having a pretty down season for the Cardinals. He batted .198 and had an on-base percentage under .300. He also hadn't hit a single home run, and wrapped his Cards tenure with just two more RBI than he has in 14 games with Tampa Bay. Keep in mind, he played in 59 games for St. Louis in 2024.

Carlson's regression for the Red Birds made it clear he was a developmental candidate in the Rays' eyes. However, it feels as if this good spurt of offense in August is something Tampa Bay did not see coming, but can benefit from immediately. Maybe Carlson was easier to tweak than anyone outside the building initially believed.

Carlson managed to play a large role in the Rays' recent sweep over the Arizona Diamondbacks. He hit a walk-off single in Game 3 to officially earn the sweep in extra innings. He also had two hits and two RBI in Friday night's win, thanks to a home run.

This effort helped to keep Tampa Bay in the thick of competing for a Wild Card spot. It is this kind of unexpected assistance that makes Carlson a very intriguing Rays batter going forward.