Mariners infielder Colt Emerson is going to have season-ending surgery on his left wrist. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times was among those to relay the news. Emerson is expected to be healthy by next year’s spring training, per Divish. Emerson is already on the 10-day injured list. He can be transferred to the 60-day IL whenever Seattle needs a 40-man roster spot.
Emerson has had a newsworthy 2026 season, though not always in a good way. He came into the year as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. He seemingly had a legitimate shot at breaking camp with the club but was sent to the minors at the end of spring training.
Though he was sent to the minors to begin the schedule, the Mariners clearly viewed him as a big part of the future. On the last day of March, Emerson and the Mariners agreed to an eight-year, $95MM extension. Despite signing that deal, Emerson was initially kept in the minors on optional assignment. He was finally promoted in May but didn’t have much major league success. In his first 69 big league games, he stepped to the plate 241 times. His 34.4% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate were both subpar figures, contributing to a .190/.246/.335 line.
On August 13, it was reported that Emerson would be optioned back down to the minors. However, the next day, he was placed on the IL instead with left wrist tendon inflammation. Per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, the injury had been bothering him for some time. While still in the minors in April, he had received a cortisone injection and missed five games.
President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto expressed disappointment that Emerson had not been more forthcoming. “I wish he would have been a little more upfront if it was bothering him that much,” Dipoto said. “He should have said something.”
In the short term, the Mariners are still in the race here in 2026 and will have to continue improvising at the shortstop position. J.P. Crawford, who moved from short to third to accommodate Emerson, would be the logical solution. However, he is also on the IL right now, coincidentally also due to left wrist inflammation. His return timeline is unclear.
In the meantime, Brock Rodden and Leo Rivas are getting the bulk of the playing time there. Rodden was just promoted when Emerson hit the IL. He has a solid .250/.321/.417 line through 28 plate appearances but with a 34.7% strikeout rate and .400 batting average on balls in play. Rivas has a .201/.325/.258 line in his career. That’s less than ideal with the M’s having a legitimate shot at the division. Despite their 62-69 record, the Mariners are only three games back of the Astros and Rangers with just over a month to go.
More to come.
