Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch envisions Carlson mostly playing center field when he receives his expected promotion from the team's alternate training site in Springfield.

EDGE Analysis

The elite prospect is biding his time in Springfield until at least Friday, when seven days will have passed since the start of the regular season. Bringing Carlson up to the active roster at that point allows the Cardinals to not lose a year of team control, and when he does arrive, Hummel makes a case center field will likely represent the 21-year-old's best path to playing time early. Harrison Bader is currently the primary option at the position and is lauded for his defense, but after limping to a .205/.314/.366 slash in 2019, Bader owns an even more anemic .111/.273/.222 line through his first 11 plate appearances of 2020.