By Paul L. Taylor Posted on

Mariners experience 2 positives and 1 negative on a busy Tuesday

J.P. Crawford begins rehab assignment, Jerry Dipoto discusses Colt Emerson and Mariners blanked 5-0 by Yankees in lacklustre display.

It’s been a rough month or so for J.P. Crawford, who’s been dealing with a lingering right shoulder issue which limited his availability during spring training. However, he was seen taking part in light infield drills during batting practice at T-Mobile Park during the weekend with the Mariners, and has now started a rehab assignment in Triple-A Tacoma.

It wasn’t the best of performances by Crawford on Tuesday evening in Tacoma, as he batted second in the lineup and went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. However, he did manage a walk and the main thing is that he’s back out there in the field playing at shortstop and getting his necessary reps ahead of rejoining the Mariners.

In this respect, the plan is for Crawford to also play for the Rainiers on Wednesday and then join the Mariners for their first road trip of the season, which begins on Friday in Anaheim versus the Angels. As per The Associated Press, manager Dan Wilson said:

“He’s been really on track, and in some ways ahead of where you would think because of spring training and getting opportunities to get as many at-bats as possible and that kind of thing. So, excited that he’s getting close.”

Crawford is the longest-tenured player on the Mariners and is a leader in the clubhouse, but as a pending free agent this is expected to be his final season in Seattle. For all the criticism he’s endured, his 5.2 bWAR season in 2023 is the highest in franchise history by any shortstop not named Alex Rodriguez, while he’s proven extremely clutch in the biggest of moments with a career .373 batting average when the bases are loaded.

Colt Emerson gets his money and thoughts now turn to when he will make his Major League debut

As if to punctuate that this is (more than) likely Crawford’s last year in Seattle, on the same day he began his rehab assignment in Tacoma, news emerged regarding his heir apparent at shortstop, Colt Emerson. As first reported by FanSided‘s Robert Murray, the Mariners’ top-rated prospect signed a long-term extension for eight years and worth $95 million.

The deal also includes a ninth-year club option, a full no-trade clause and escalators that can bring it north of $130 million. The Mariners officially confirmed the news later on Tuesday after Emerson had completed a physical, and the contract begins with immediate effect.

This clearly represents a big investment for the Mariners, quite literally, as the largest contract ever signed by a player yet to make their Major League debut. As for when Emerson actually gets his call up and debut, the thinking is that the timeline won’t be impacted too much by his new lucrative deal, with him projected to arrive in Seattle sometime around midseason.

It will be interesting to see how the Mariners fit Emerson into the roster, with Crawford expected to remain at shortstop once he returns. It’s been suggested by President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto that the 20-year-old will mostly play at third base, at which point Brendan Donovan will be used in more of a utility role

In any event, the Mariners are delighted to get the deal done. In a press release on Tuesday, Executive Vice President & General Manager Justin Hollander said:

“Colt’s talent is matched by his work ethic, character, and desire to win. We are thrilled as an organization to reach an agreement on a long-term extension with him.”

Mariners have worst performance of the season in 5-0 loss to Yankees

Contrasting with the positive news surrounding Crawford and Emerson, the Mariners put forward their worst performance this season to date on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park, losing 5-0 to the Yankees and falling to 3-3. They were limited to just four hits, with the (very) small consolation that Josh Naylor finally collected his first one of 2026, with a single in the bottom of the fourth.

It was a second tough outing of the season for Logan Gilbert, with the tone set early when he gave up two runs and took 28 pitches to get out of the first inning. In defense of the righty, the first run came thanks to not the best of fielding efforts by Victor Robles, while the second one came as a result of an unfortunate blooper.

Gilbert did recover after this and seemed to find some rhythm, before finally unravelling for good in the sixth inning. In fairness though, he again suffered some bad fortune as Cal Raleigh missing on a throw as Cody Bellinger stole second base, allowing Trent Grisham to score from third and increase the Yankees’ lead to 3-0.

Gilbert’s day was ended after giving up an RBI double to Giancarlo Stanton that made it 4-0. However, he would still be charged with a fifth earned run, when his replacement Chris Wilcox allowed an RBI single from Jazz Chisholm Jr. that scored Ben Rice.

Logan Gilbert not as bad as his final stat line might suggest

When it was all said and done Gilbert lasted 5.1 innings as he did on Opening Day against the Guardians, in the process allowing seven hits, three walks and the aforementioned five earned runs. However, on a night when he also managed six strikeouts and 14 whiffs, this was one of those performances when he wasn’t as bad as his final stat line would suggest.

In any event, even if Gilbert had limited the Yankees to just the two runs in the first inning it wouldn’t have likely mattered, as Max Fried was lights out in holding the Mariners scoreless over 7.0 innings. If nothing else Brendan Donovan reached base safely for a sixth consecutive game; Randy Arozarena not so much, as his own on-base streak to begin this season was only extended thanks to a hit by pitch from Fried.

One last small consolation for the Mariners was the outing by Casey Legumina, who entered this season as the biggest question mark in the bullpen. Well, he pitched 1.2 clean innings against the Yankees on Tuesday night and has not allowed a single run in 3.2 combined innings over three appearances, striking out four batters in the process.

Quote of the night

Due credit to Wilson, he made no excuses for the performance and made a point of giving Fried plenty of praise for how he pitched on the night to stifle the Mariners lineup. He said:

“Offensively, we just weren’t able to get too much going against Fried. He is tough. Not a ton of punch outs, but just a lot of contact and (we) weren’t able to get too much traffic. Got some traffic there later (in the seventh inning), but he was able to erase it with a double play.”

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rogers Photography & Mazvita Maraire

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