Former Top 10 Pick Returns To Majors After 2-Year Absence

Once drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 1st round (10th overall) of the 2012 MLB June Draft, his stock has plummeted in recent years, leaving him without a major league job since 2021. But David Dahl has made it back to the bigs. 

David Dahl has indeed been told he has made the Padres. https://t.co/HBKDNKl47v

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 30, 2023

The San Diego Padres will have Dahl on their 26-man roster to start the season. Last year, he spent time in the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals minor league systems, batting .279 with 10 homers and a .787 OPS. 

He was a highly-rated prospect for the Rockies when they called him up as a rookie in 2016, and he batted .315 in a 63-game sample. He went on to get himself an All-Star nod in 2019, batting .302 with an .877 OPS with Colorado, with 15 homers and a .353 on-base percentage.

But 2020 and 2021 were lost seasons for Dahl, as he hit a combined .200 in 320 plate appearances. 

But after a decent run at Triple-A last year, he signed a minor league deal with the Padres this offseason, and had a nice spring, batting .288 with 10 RBIs and a .769 OPS. 

He'll at the very least keep an outfield spot warm until Fernando Tatis Jr. is back from his suspension on April 20th. 

 

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports