HOUSTON -- Colt Emerson was indeed removed from the Mariners’ active roster ahead of Friday’s huge series against the Astros at Daikin Park.
However, it was for a stint on the injured list and not being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, as was initially the club’s plan.
The rookie shortstop was placed on the 10-day shelf with left wrist tendon inflammation -- an issue that the club knew of but wishes he would’ve been more forthright about.
“This was not an unknown,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “We just didn't realize how much it was bothering him.”
In a corresponding move, infielder Brock Rodden had his contract selected from Triple-A Tacoma. Ranked the Mariners’ No. 19 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Rodden was immediately installed into Seattle’s starting lineup, batting ninth and playing shortstop.
As for Emerson, he’s in the process of seeing a specialist in Arizona -- Dr. Donald C. Sheridan, the same hand and wrist orthopedist that he met with in February, when the issue first surfaced.
The club is not ruling out surgery as a possibility.
“We're taking a look,” Dipoto said. “I suspect we will find that it is a thing.”
The development on Emerson came upon the conversation that the rookie had with Dipoto, general manager Justin Hollander and manager Dan Wilson after Thursday’s win at Yankee Stadium.
At that point, those three were informing Emerson of the decision to send him down in the midst of a two-month struggle at the plate -- which Emerson was receptive to.
Yet, during that confab, Emerson raised the wrist issue more vocally.
“He's managed it all year long,” Dipoto said. “He's as tough as they come. He would just come in and say, 'It's good enough,' and he battled through. ... I wish he would have been a little more upfront, if it was bothering him that much. He should’ve said something.”
In mid-April, at Tacoma and before his debut, Emerson was shut down for five days upon receiving a cortisone shot to address the wrist. He’s also experienced periodic back spasms, but did not go on the IL.
Dipoto added that the situation would explain the 21-year-old’s funk at the plate, now going on two full months.
“Colt Emerson has never had a problem with contact,” Dipoto said. “He's never had a problem with velocity, and we saw things happening that didn't make sense, and this actually might make sense of it.”
Since a big series in Washington from June 12-14, when he crushed a pair of homers and drove in four runs, Emerson slashed .166/.212/.214 (.426 OPS) in 46 games. Up to that point, he was hitting .237/.310/.566 (.876 OPS) with six homers in a little under one month after making his MLB debut, on May 17, to much fanfare.
That came six weeks after Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million contract, which was the richest ever signed by a player who had yet to reach the Majors.
“As was the case when we were intending to option him, the biggest thing was just doing the right thing for Colt, and getting him on track,” Dipoto said. “And this is step one in getting him on track, is making sure that he's healthy. That's clearly necessary.”
This all opens the door for Rodden, 26, the prototypical utility infielder that the Mariners’ front office values -- and he switch-hits.
Shortstop could be a revolving spot for the time being, with J.P. Crawford also on the IL since July 30 with left wrist inflammation. The veteran is not expected to return on this road trip, which continues in Milwaukee next week.
Rodden, Leo Rivas and even Cole Young could all see action at the premium position in the immediate future.
In Tacoma, Rodden played 24 games at second base, 35 games at shortstop and 30 games at third base, carrying a slash line of .262/.342/.499 (.841 OPS) in 410 plate appearances. He was Seattle’s fifth-round pick in a loaded 2023 Draft class, which was headlined by Emerson as its first-rounder.
“You have these interchangeable players who can do a lot of different things, and that's to our benefit,” Dipoto said. “Play the hot hand and roll with the best matchups you can find. And at the end of the day, hopefully, it's an opportunity to see, really, what Brock can do, and if he can infuse some energy in a team that I think needs it.”