Mariners fans should be thrilled about Julio Rodríguez's All-Star Game no-show

It has only been a few days since Julio Rodríguez was named as an American League All-Star for the third time in four seasons, yet he's already decided that he'd rather not make the trip to Atlanta for next week's Midsummer Classic at Truist Park.

The 24-year-old made the announcement himself on social media on Friday:

It's a bit of a letdown, as the Seattle Mariners will now have only three All-Stars — Cal Raleigh, Bryan Woo, and Andrés Muñoz — available for the big game on Tuesday. With Rodríguez aboard, Seattle would have tied the Detroit Tigers for the most All-Stars among AL clubs.

But at the same time, Rodríguez's decision to bow out of the All-Star Game is a relief. Heck, you could even call it good news.

Julio Rodríguez needs the rest he's going to take during All-Star week

Though he had a down year in 2024, we weren't the only ones thinking about a rebound season for the erstwhile AL Rookie of the Year in 2025.

Rodríguez is simply too talented to have gotten so mediocre on offense, as he went from a 30-30 season with a .818 OPS in 2023 to a mere 20-20 season with a .734 OPS in 2024. The Mariners also had a good plan to avert his typical slow start, intentionally getting him more reps during spring training.

At least early on, that seemed to work. Through Rodríguez was never truly "hot" in the early weeks of this season, his .753 OPS through the Mariners' first 68 games was a new personal high. When combined with his usual stellar defense in center field, he was truly one of the top outfielders in the American League.

But here's the deal: He only has a .513 OPS since then, with all of one home run and 31 strikeouts in 114 plate appearances. He's not right. Honestly, he's not even remotely close to right.

Given Friday's announcement, it is tempting to speculate as to whether Rodríguez has been playing through something even as he's started in 91 of the Mariners' 93 games. We won't say anything we don't know about that, though we will note that he's had a hard season off the field (his home was burglarized while his girlfriend was present) and that he took a hard foul ball off his leg just last night.

As for what we do know about what's eating Rodríguez this season, we have written extensively about how he's being way too aggressive and hitting too many ground balls. He's thus not doing a good job of getting on base or driving the ball, so perhaps it was just a matter of time before the Slump Gods decided to smite him.

Whatever the case, this sure seems like a case of a guy who simply needs a break. We're all for him taking it, especially if it helps result in one of his patented second-half surges. Rodríguez has a .903 OPS after the break for his career, compared to a .726 OPS before it.

So as much as it would have been nice to see Julio in Atlanta next week, we're perfectly content to wish him well and cross our fingers for a strong return to action next Friday.