Young is expected to see the majority of playing time at second base for the Mariners in 2026 even if the team acquires a second baseman from outside the organization, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.

EDGE Analysis

The Mariners remain very high on Young even after he had just a .607 OPS in 257 plate appearances during his rookie season. Young is just 22, but the Mariners appear committed to giving him some leash in the majors in 2026. It seemingly makes a trade for Ketel Marte unlikely, and if Brendan Donovan is acquired, he would be in line to see the bulk of his reps at a position other than second base.

Young is the leading candidate to start at second base for the Mariners next season, Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Young's playing time tapered off for the Mariners down the stretch of the regular season and he did not play during the playoffs. However, Seattle remains high on the 22-year-old's potential despite a .211/.302/.305 batting line in 77 games this season. The Mariners could acquire a second baseman from outside the organization, but if they don't, the left-handed-hitting Young is the top candidate to start at least against righties. Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss (knee) will also be in the mix.

Young is absent from the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

The left-handed-hitting Young has now been out of the lineup for five consecutive games, and Monday marks the third time during that stretch that he's sat against a right-handed starting pitcher (Miles Mikolas). Leo Rivas will get the nod at the keystone in the series opener with St. Louis and may have overtaken Young as the Mariners' preferred option at the position. Young's drop in playing time comes while he's gone just 2-for-38 (.053 average) over his last 15 games.

Young is not in the Mariners' starting lineup against the Rays on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Young will be on the bench for beginning of Wednesday's game while Jorge Polanco shifts to the keystone, Cal Raleigh serves as the designated hitter and Mitch Garver gets the start behind home plate. Young has struggled at the plate in August and has gone 1-for-25 over his last 10 games, which has lowered his season OPS to .639 across 240 plate appearances.

Young is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.

EDGE Analysis

The left-handed-hitting Young will be held out of the starting nine for the second straight day while the Mariners take on another lefty starter (JP Sears). Jorge Polanco will spell Young at the keystone.

Young is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics.

EDGE Analysis

The left-handed-hitting Young had started in each of Seattle's last three games, but he'll head to the bench Sunday while the Athletics send southpaw Jacob Lopez to the hill. Jorge Polanco will replace Young at second base and will bat seventh.

Young went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Monday's 12-7 loss to the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

The four RBI were a season high for the rookie infielder, who blasted his fourth big fly of the season. With Ryan Bliss (biceps) still likely several weeks away from going on a rehab assignment, Young should remain Seattle's primary second baseman moving forward. Even so, Young is slashing a lukewarm .247/.333/.363 with 23 RBI and 22 runs scored through 209 plate appearances, so his fantasy appeal has remained limited.

Young went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and three RBI in Friday's 11-9 win over the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

The rookie second baseman put together the best performance of his young career at the plate, setting a new personal best in RBI while tying his previous bests in hits and extra-base hits in a single game. Young is finding a groove in the majors after struggling to make much of an impact initially after his late-May promotion -- over his last 12 games, he's slashing .333/.487/.567 with two doubles, a triple, a homer, a steal, seven runs, seven RBI and a stellar 9:5 BB:K.

Young is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

With Cal Raleigh getting a day off from catching but sticking in the lineup at designated hitter, Jorge Polanco will receive the start at second base while Young heads to the bench. The rookie still appears to be viewed as Seattle's top option at the keystone, but with a .253 batting average, three home runs, one steal, 21 runs and 16 RBI through his first 53 big-league games, Young's fantasy appeal will mostly be limited to AL-only leagues or deeper mixed leagues.

Young is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The Mariners will give Cal Raleigh a day off from catching but are keeping his bat in the lineup at designated hitter, so Jorge Polanco will give up his usual DH duties but stay in the starting nine himself by taking over for Young at second base. Young had started in each of Seattle's last six games, going 6-for-17 with a home run, a stolen base, four walks, four RBI and four runs to improve his season-long slash line to .252/.326/.352 over 179 plate appearances.