Colt Emerson's surgery gives Mariners license to think outside the box at shortstop

The next time Seattle Mariners fans will see Colt Emerson at shortstop is in 2027. Whatever hope there was of him returning in 2026 went up in smoke on Monday, with news of the rookie's season-ending wrist surgery. Someone else will end the season as Seattle's shortstop, and that particular puzzle is not complicated. Then again, maybe it could be?

J.P. Crawford has been activated off the injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. As such, the only thing standing between the Mariners and their infield being whole again is how soon Brendan Donovan is ready to come off the seven-day concussion IL. That could be as soon as Saturday.

You can see it now. Crawford at short. Donovan at third. Cole Young at second. Josh Naylor at first. Just how it was meant to be, even if the Mariners have been able to start that exact infield just 13 times all season.

However, can we agree there's fair discussion about whether that infield is a good idea?

Though the Mariners have played their best baseball with Crawford at shortstop, that's in spite of a glove that has produced -8 Defensive Runs Saved and -9 Outs Above Average. As Donovan is at -3 for both DRS and OAA over 307.1 innings at third base, he and Crawford sharing the same side of the same infield is not what they call "ideal."

Daydreaming of a (highly unlikely) Mariners infield with Cole Young at shortstop

Thus we propose: What if Cole Young took over at shortstop instead?

It's not a totally outlandish idea. Before he arrived in the majors last year, Young started 238 games at shortstop in the minors, compared to only 77 at second base. While he now looks like a potential Gold Glover at the keystone, the Mariners were still comfortable enough with him at short to give him three starts there earlier in the year.

Young's weakness is his arm strength, as his average throw of 71.9 mph is the lowest of any qualified Mariners defender. Yet there does seem to be some extra juice when he needs it. Whereas Crawford has maxed out at 81.9 mph, Young has touched 82.4 mph.

Even if Mariners couldn't expect Young's excellent defense at second to translate to short, the idea would be to aim for the maximum net positive. If he's at short, that opens up other possibilities for enriching both the defense and the lineup.

For example, Crawford could to go third and Donovan could go to second. Donovan is historically better at second than he is at third, and Crawford has been basically average in 225.1 innings at third base this year. As such, this might be Seattle's best defensive alignment.

Or, the Mariners could make good on their teases to use Donovan as a super-utility type. That could open up second base for Michael Arroyo, a righty bat with a career .396 OBP in the minors. It could otherwise open up right field for Lazaro Montes, whose home run prowess (37 and counting) in the minors is increasingly going to waste. And yes, "Why not both?" is a reasonable question.

All of the above is almost certainly a case of shouting into the void. Crawford at short and Donovan at third is risky on a play-to-play level, but it offers certainty on a day-to-day level. The Mariners have been short on the latter all year. If they can get it now with their playoff hopes still alive with 30 games to go, they're going to take it.

Still, a guy can dream. And since the Mariners don't currently hold a playoff spot, dare we say there's sense in going for the high-risk, high-reward strategy over the low-risk, low-reward strategy?

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