When the Philadelphia Phillies signed David Dahl to a minor-league contract in February, few expected him to make much of an impact. After all, it had been five years since he was a productive big leaguer.

Dahl’s once-promising career had entered its journeyman phase. After slashing .297/.346/.521 and making an All-Star team during his first three seasons with the Colorado Rockies, the former first-round draft pick faded into obscurity as injuries and underperformance sabotaged his career. He appeared in just 91 games over his next three seasons, suiting up for three different teams while batting a paltry .199/.236/.303.

While Dahl was only 29 when he signed with the Phillies last offseason, his career seemed finished. They were already his sixth team since leaving the Rockies after the 2020 season. Teams kept giving him chances, but he wasn’t able to stick anywhere.

That changed this year, however, as Dahl finally looks like the .300 hitter of old. After tearing up Triple-A to the tune of a .340/.416/.660 batting line, the veteran outfielder was called up when Brandon Marsh (hamstring) hit the 10-day injured list on June 3. Dahl was immediately inserted into the starting lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers — one of his former teams.

In his first MLB game in over a year, Dahl made an immediate impact, going 2-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs as Philadelphia won 3-1. He played again the next day and doubled, then homered in his next appearance as a pinch-hitter against the New York Mets during the London Series.