Mariners Option Struggling Rookie to Triple-A

Emerson began this season ranked as the Mariners' No. 1 prospect and signed an eight-year, $95 million extension on March 31 before appearing in a major league game. Emerson, however, has struggled mightily at the plate lately, leading the Mariners to demote the talented rookie.

In 69 games this season, the 21-year-old is slashing just .190/.246/.335 with eight home runs, 23 RBI and an OPS of .581. Emerson has also struck out 83 times this season across 242 plate appearances, including striking out four times Wednesday night against the New York Yankees. He was not in the starting lineup during the ballclub's 1-0 win over New York on Thursday.

With Emerson now in Triple-A, and Crawford still on the injured list, Divish reported that utility hitter Leo Rivas will likely take over at shortstop, with the aforementioned Rodden manning second baseman and Cole Young also an option in the infield for Seattle.

The Mariners are still very high on Emerson's potential and they hope he can regain his confidence while in Triple-A and return to the big leagues.

With the Mariners' series-salvaging win over the Yankees on Thursday, they were able to snap a five-game losing streak. They're 3.5 games out of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League and five games behind the division-leading Houston Astros in the AL West.

ALSO SEE: NRFI and YRFI MLB Bets Today: Best First-Inning Predictions for Thursday, Aug. 13