Mariners rookie Colt Emerson is slumping his way into an uncomfortable conversation

Colt Emerson had a sensational start to his career. After being called up in May, he posted a 142 wRC+ over 47 plate appearances while playing third base to accommodate J.P. Crawford at shortstop. He did enough to warrant a return to his natural position and began playing exceptional defense alongside Cole Young. All in all, it seemed like he was poised for an outstanding rookie season.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever and no sport embodies that idea better than baseball. Players go through hot streaks and slumps and for newer big leaguers like Emerson, failure to adjust can be a critical weakness. His job is to do what's necessary but for the Mariners, their job is to determine whether he should be figuring things out in Seattle or Tacoma.

Colt Emerson's recent slump could result in him being sent back down if it's not corrected soon

Since the start of June, Emerson has posted a 92 wRC+. It isn't too bad, especially for a shortstop, but there are more concerning issues under the hood. He's striking out 34.6% of the time, which is the eighth-highest figure among qualified players over that span. This is the direct result of a 38.0% whiff rate and a zone contact rate of just 70.5%.

It seems that the biggest change is that opposing pitchers are taking advantage of his struggles against breaking balls. While he has posted strong numbers against fastballs and off-speed, he's slugging just .156 against breaking pitches, with curveballs in particular giving him issues.

If the offensive regression continues, Seattle could be tempted to send Emerson back to the minors to limit the damage. Now that the Mariners have been toppled from the top spot in the division, the urgency to get their act together is the highest it has been all year, and some sort of roster rearrangement might soon be necessary.

Seattle could return to the infield alignment they started the year with, playing J.P. Crawford at shortstop and Brendan Donovan at third base, but the latter is still on the injured list with an encouraging albeit uncertain timeline to return. That may give the lineup an offensive lift, but it would require a meaningful defensive tradeoff.

Alternatively, the Mariners could simply allow Emerson to work through this cold stretch. He's far from the only major leaguer to be experiencing a rough patch and has actually posted better hitting results than Julio Rodríguez (83 wRC+) this month.

Emerson has demonstrated that he has a great attitude, and his sheer talent means he may not have much else to learn in the minors. Like all great players, there's no better way to get over these obstacles than to work through them. Hopefully, the organization shares the same mindset and gives him enough of a leash to do so.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow