Dipoto details Mariners’ plan for Colt Emerson’s wrist injury

The decision had been been made by the Seattle Mariners to option the struggling Colt Emerson to Triple-A Tacoma, but the plan changed when he alerted the club that the wrist that gave him trouble early in spring training and he had been managing since had been bothering him recently more than he let on.

Mariners’ Colt Emerson goes on 10-day IL rather than Triple-A

“I wish he would have been a little more upfront with it,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “If it was bothering him so much he should have said something. But we’re going to get it checked out. But at minimum, he’s going to miss a little bit of time.”

While not being happy the Mariners’ prized young shortstop had not let the team know the wrist was an issue, Dipoto was understanding of the position Emerson was in.

“He just wants to compete,” Dipoto said. “He wants to contribute. It’s hard to hit with a bad wrist. And it’s especially hard to hit with a bad wrist when you’re trying to play against a level of competition you’ve never played before.”

Dipoto said Emerson was “as pro as you can be” when told of the planned move to Triple-A after the game Thursday in New York.

“Could not have been more understanding,” he said. “I think he understood where he was. And he took a breath and then he said, ‘I really would like to have an updated look at my wrist. It’s been a thing.’ And we’re taking a look.”

Emerson was sent to Arizona to see Dr. Donald C. Sheridan, the specialist he saw in spring training. Dipoto suspects a new scan will find “a thing” with Emerson’s wrist.

“Colt’s not likely to say something if it’s not really bothering, as we found out,” Dipoto said.

While any injury news is typically bad news, it gave Dipoto a sense of comfort in finding some answers in what they were seeing with Emerson at the plate.

“Colt Emerson’s never had a problem with contact. He’s never had a problem with velocity. And we saw things happening that didn’t make sense, and this actually might make sense of it. So hopefully we can solve it pretty quickly.”

Notes

• Rookie infielder Brock Rodden was called up to take Emerson’s place on the 26-man roster and made his MLB debut Friday in Houston. He along with Leo Rivas and Cole Young are options manager Dan Wilson will have at short, as the status of J.P. Crawford, who is on the IL with a wrist issue of his own, remains in Dipoto’s words “in a very gray area.”

• Was Michael Arroyo, the No. 45 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, an option to replace Emerson? With Crawford out, the Mariners likely favored Rodden’s ability to play short, but we still could see Arroyo and others from the minors before the end of the season. One thing to take into consideration however, is the looming potential lockout. Teams are not allowed to have any contact with players who are on the 40-man roster during a lockout. Those players would also not be allowed to work out at the spring training facility or participate in offseason camps. These rules could make decisions on calling up minor leaguers who are not on the 40-man roster difficult. In Arroyo’s case, this will not come into play as he will need to be placed on the 40-man roster this fall regardless or otherwise be Rule 5 Draft eligible.

• Injured reliever Matt Brash joined the club in Houston and is scheduled to throw Saturday in his first bullpen since going on the IL.

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