Colt Emerson's looming Mariners call-up should lead to an unexpected job loss

Colt Emerson is going to be a Seattle Mariner in the near future. That's basically a $95 million promise on the organization's part, and the easy take on who he'll replace is that Leo Rivas should enjoy his job while he has it.

As for how loudly the clock is ticking, Jerry Dipoto's interview with MLB Network's Brian Kenny on Monday offers some clues. Seattle's president of baseball operations stopped short of putting an exact date on Emerson's promotion from Triple-A Tacoma, but did say he's "trending toward a 20-year-old debut."

As Dipoto implied, that effectively makes the deadline for Emerson's debut his 21st birthday on July 20. And unless J.P. Crawford's shoulder acts up again — or makes throwing even more difficult — that means Mariners fans can expect to see Emerson at third base sooner rather than later.

What if Dominic Canzone is the right guy to go when Colt Emerson is ready?

Assuming the roster is more or less intact when Emerson gets the call, Rivas will be the obvious sacrifice from the 26-man roster. He's only a bench player as of now, and Brendan Donovan would be able to fill his super-utility role after Emerson bumps him off the hot corner.

And yet, we propose: What about Dominic Canzone instead?

There are a couple rationales at play here, starting with one concerning practicality. Rivas has one minor league option left, whereas Canzone has two. And that matters, as zero minor league options is when you get into DFA territory.

Secondly, Rivas has multiple uses as a versatile defender and as a switch-hitter with a knack for getting on base. Canzone is strictly a designated hitter at this stage, so he's only useful if his bat is working. And it just isn't right now.

Since he homered twice on Opening Day, Canzone is only 5-for-30 with no homers. Sure, we can talk about how he is hitting the ball at an average of 95.2 mph, the highest average on the team by about 3 mph over Luke Raley. He's also striking out at just an 18.2 percent clip, so there could be some bad luck going on.

Even so, the Mariners shouldn't be fast and loose with the benefit of the doubt. Though Canzone did break out in an unexpected way last year, he was basically a Quad-A player beforehand and he ultimately went freezing cold in October. That's the guy who has shown up early in 2026.

As it is, Dan Wilson has taken to batting the 28-year-old Canzone out of the eighth spot. If he were to relocate to Tacoma, the Mariners could then use the DH spot as a flex position. Maybe Donovan would be the "regular" against righties, but the spot could be Rob Refsnyder's against lefties or Cal Raleigh's, Randy Arozarena's, Julio Rodríguez's or whoever's depending on who needs a day off their feet.

Of course, this idea could age terribly if Canzone's bat heats up again. But if what we're seeing now is a reminder of who he really is as a major leaguer, Emerson's eventual call-up will be the perfect excuse for the Mariners to acknowledge that reality rather than continue to ignore it.

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