The young second baseman has been mostly excellent this season, but he's in a rut right now that the M's can't afford.
If the Seattle Mariners are going to catch the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers over the final 31 games of the regular season, they are going to need all hands on deck.
That means the big suspects like Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor are going to have to produce, and it means the back-end roster guys like Victor Robles, Weston Wilson and Leo Rivas are going to have to do the same.
These up-and-down the roster contributions are especially needed in the wake of Brendan Donovan hitting the 7-day concussion injured list over the weekend. The Mariners simply can't afford for the offense to dry up in other spots. Donovan is a big loss, and the offense had finally started to function as it was designed with him at the top of the order.
But one place where the offense has dried up is in second baseman Cole Young, who is now caught in a massive slump.
While Young has had an excellent year overall, hitting .251 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs, he's now hitting .040 (1-for-25) in his last seven games. He's also at just .158 over his last 15 and .231 over his last 30.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) hits a three-run home run to right field against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn ImagesIn Young's defense, he's played in every game this season, and he could be showing signs of fatigue.
The 131 games that he has played in this season are tied for the the most of his career already. He played in 126 in 2023, 124 in 2024 and he played in 131 total (between MLB and Triple-A) in 2025, though he ended up sitting for much of September as the Mariners chased a playoff berth. His slump down the stretch last season necessitated the switch to Jorge Polanco at second base.
The Mariners will hope that he's not hitting a permanent wall and that he can get back on track, because they need him.
Seattle enters play on Monday at 62-69 and in third place in the American League West, three games back of the Astros and Rangers. The Mariners are also three games back of the third and final wild card spot.
However, if you're looking for optimism, the M's have just six games remaining this season against teams with winning records. According to Tankathon, they have the easiest schedule remaining by opponent winning percentage.
Three of those games are against the Philadelphia Phillies, who the Mariners will play on Monday night at T-Mobile Park. The Phillies have won nine straight contests.
