Mariners moving in new direction, demoting top prospect after benching him vs. Yankees

The Seattle Mariners appear to be making a significant change with one of the most highly regarded young MLB players in their organization.

Seattle is optioning rookie infielder Colt Emerson back to Triple-A Tacoma, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. The decision comes immediately after the Mariners avoided a sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees, beating them 1-0 on Thursday to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Mariners will replace Emerson on the major league roster with infielder Brock Rodden, who will be selected from Triple-A.

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Emerson’s Struggles Finally Become Too Much

Emerson, who turned 21 last month, wasn’t in Seattle’s starting lineup Thursday with the Yankees sending left-hander Max Fried to the mound. He eventually entered as a late defensive replacement.

The move comes one day after Emerson endured a particularly rough performance, striking out four times in Wednesday’s loss. That pushed his strikeout rate to an alarming 34.4% through his first 68 MLB games.

The struggles have become increasingly difficult to ignore.

After homering in his second major league game and showing plenty of promise during May, Emerson’s production fell off dramatically. He hit just .205 with a .271 on-base percentage in June, although he did hit five home runs that month.

Since the beginning of July, things have gotten even worse. Emerson has posted a .157/.185/.196 slash line over the past six weeks, making him the worst offensive player in MLB during that stretch.

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A Surprising Development for Seattle

The decision is particularly notable because Emerson is considered one of baseball’s top prospects and signed an eight-year extension with a $95 million guarantee at the beginning of the season.

Seattle initially kept him in Triple-A before promoting him in May when Brendan Donovan landed on the injured list. Emerson initially took over as the everyday third baseman before moving to shortstop following an injury to J.P. Crawford in June.

Even after Crawford returned, Emerson remained at shortstop. Now, however, the Mariners have decided the best move is to send their young star back to Triple-A.

It’s not necessarily a long-term indictment of Emerson’s talent. Instead, Seattle is giving its 21-year-old cornerstone an opportunity to reset, work through his struggles and regain the confidence that made him one of the game’s top prospects in the first place.

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