Colt

Emerson

Mariners manager Dan Wilson made the revelation to reporters on Monday, citing it as one of the reasons why Emerson wasn’t promoted to replace an injured Brendan Donovan (groin). “It just didn’t feel like this was the right time for that,” he added. The 20-year-old infielder, who holds an .813 OPS in 18 games at Triple-A Tacoma this season, signed an eight-year, $95 million contract extension last month and is on the precipice of arriving as Seattle’s shortstop of the future. He’s likely to break into the majors at third base initially with impending free agent J.P. Crawford staying at shortstop.

It’s a tough break for the Mariners, and fantasy managers, since Donovan was off to a phenomenal start at the dish in his Seattle debut, slashing a robust .304/.437/.518 with three homers, eight RBI and one steal through 18 games. The versatile 29-year-old appears unlikely to require a lengthy absence since top prospect Colt Emerson wasn’t brought up to take over at third base. He’ll get some extra time off to put a lingering groin and hip issue to bed after implying that he believes they may be related to the sports hernia surgery he underwent last October. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point in the near future. It’ll be Leo Rivas taking over at the hot corner as a temporary stopgap in his absence.

Dipoto also said that Colt was “trending towards a 20-year-old debut,” and then immediately mentioned that Emerson doesn’t turn 21 until July, so he understood the implications of what he was saying. The Mariners will likely have to figure out what to do with J.P. Crawford in order to make room for Emerson, but it sounds like the 20-year-old should be up before the summer truly heats up.

Emerson returned to Tacoma’s lineup after suffering a foot contusion over the weekend and didn’t show any signs of rust, reaching base safely in three of his four plate appearances. The 20-year-old top prospect continues working at third base in preparation for his major-league debut at some point later this season but he still projects as Seattle’s shortstop of the future, especially after signing a record eight-year, $95 million contract extension earlier this month.

Emerson and the Mariners can both breathe a sigh of relief. The 20-year-old looked to be in significant pain after fouling a ball off his foot and not being able to continue after the at-bat. He’ll likely sit a day or two, but it appears that Emerson has avoided a serious injury.

The ball got the top of Emerson’s foot, just below the extension on his shin guard. Hopefully, the top prospect is day-to-day. He might have been in line to make his MLB debut next week if Brendan Donovan required an IL stint, but it looks like Donovan is going to be OK.

The Mariners didn’t have much to say about the injury after the game. Donovan left in the seventh inning after his leg came down awkwardly on the first-base bag while trying to leg out a grounder. If Donovan is unavailable Saturday, the Mariners would likely start utility specialist Leo Rivas at third base. An extended absence could potentially open the door for top prospect Colt Emerson, who has been playing third base down at Triple-A Tacoma.

Donovan might have tweaked an ankle stepping on first base while trying to beat out a grounder. He’s probably day-to-day, but if it does turn out to be something significant, Colt Emerson could join the Mariners sooner than expected.

The long-term agreement, first reported earlier Tuesday, is now official. Emerson is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball and is expected to be a key piece of Seattle’s roster through at least 2033. The 20-year-old prodigy’s combination of bat-to-ball skills and emerging power makes it easy to envision him as an impactful fantasy contributor in the near future. There has been no indication the Mariners plan to accelerate his timeline at Triple-A this season, but his arrival as the club’s shortstop of the future feels almost inevitable, especially since J.P. Crawford hitting free agency at the end of the year.

The contract has a team option for the ninth year, a full no-trade clause, and escalators that could have it worth more than $130 million. It’s a record for a player who has yet to debut in the major leagues. Emerson started this season in Triple-A, but could debut by the end of April if he gets off to a hot start.