Mariners predicted to call up No. 1 prospect who made a 'serious run' for Opening Day roster

Mariners predicted to call up No. 1 prospect who made a 'serious run' for Opening Day roster originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Some of the top players in the Seattle Mariners' lineup are struggling at the plate early in the season.

In particular, Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor, and Julio Rodriguez are off to terribly slow starts. If Seattle is going to contend in the American League, it'll need those three guys to turn things around.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicts that in April, the Mariners will promote their top prospect from Triple-A to provide a spark.

"Colt Emerson made a serious run at the Opening Day roster during spring training, logging an .828 OPS with two home runs in 47 plate appearances, but the Mariners ultimately opted to send him back to Triple-A for a bit more seasoning," Reuter wrote Saturday.

Emerson, a shortstop who can also shift to second and third base, has a .302/.333/.465 slash line with one home run and a .798 OPS in 11 games at Triple-A Tacoma. His eight-year, $95 million extension with the AL West club set a record for a player who has not made their Major League debut.

MORE: Terrance Gore's son honors dad with perfect first pitch

Reuter believes Emerson is ready to contribute to the Mariners right now.

"With the Mariners currently last in the majors in batting average (.184) and OPS (.581) while averaging 3.1 runs per game, the ability to provide an early spark might outweigh that additional development time," he added.

Fans in Seattle could be watching Emerson at T-Mobile Park sooner than later.

More MLB news:

• Explaining the absurdity of 2 MLB players named Max Muncy
• He almost retired, but instead he hit his first grand slam
• White Sox are holding a Pope Leo XIV promotion
• This slider is really good and moves the entirely wrong direction
• These Mason Miller stats can't possibly be human