Brendan Donovan’s Latest All-Star Mention Feels Oddly Outdated for the Mariners

The Brendan Donovan All-Star mention is not ridiculous because he’s been bad. That statement would be malpractice. When Donovan has actually been on the field for the Seattle Mariners this season, he’s been really good.

He’s slashing .274/.385/.452 with three home runs, eight RBI and a 141 OPS+. He’s looked exactly like the hitter the Mariners have badly needed. And at the same time, this MLB All-Star voting guide by MLB.com’s Jason Foster feels so strange.

In a position-by-position breakdown of the 2026 All-Star ballot, he listed Donovan as one of the American League third base challengers to watch. Again, the production explains why the name came up. The rest of the context is where this goes off the rails.

Donovan is currently on the injured list. He’s played only 25 of the Mariners’ first 64 games. His return timeline is still not perfectly clear, even if he is working his way back. Availability isn’t exactly a footnote in an All-Star conversation. Fan voting plays a huge role.

But once you sit with it for a few seconds, Donovan has absolutely played at an All-Star level when available, but availability has to be part of the case. So even though he nails the production argument, he just doesn’t have the volume.

Colt Emerson Gives the Mariners a Different All-Star Question at Third Base

The second part is even more confusing. Not sure if he’s watched the Mariners lately, because there’s this guy that plays third base by the name of Colt Emerson. Not sure if he’s heard of him. But that really does change the conversation.

Emerson is not keeping the position warm until Donovan gets back. He’s currently the Mariners third baseman until further notice. And guess what? He’s also producing.

Even if Donovan returns before voting closes, logs enough games and keeps hitting, are we sure he is doing that as Seattle’s third baseman? That’s a pretty big assumption to just toss into the middle of an All-Star guide like the Mariners’ depth chart has been frozen.

Because right now, Emerson is slashing .255/.328/.582 with four home runs, nine RBI and a 150 OPS+ in half the at-bats as Donovan.

Wait a second.

Are we sure Foster didn’t mean Emerson as the dark horse? Because that actually would have made more sense.

No, Emerson doesn’t have Donovan’s big league résumé. But he’s healthy. He’s active. And, he is actually playing third base for the Mariners. And he has enough immediate production, prospect shine and buzz to make the conversation feel fresh instead of strangely delayed.

That is the real issue here. Donovan’s mention reads like an All-Star argument built during spring training. The Mariners’ season has moved. The roster has evolved. Donovan’s production still deserves respect, but the framing already feels stale.

This isn’t to say Donovan is undeserving. That wouldn’t be fair. If anything, his absence has made it easier to appreciate how useful he was when available. And All-Star voting wants a neat box. There’s no utility option so in that case, the mention makes sense. But even if we’re judging this purely by production and not worrying much about volume, Emerson might actually have more runway to make the case from here. His production has already made the conversation feel less far-fetched than it probably should.

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