"He looked really unathletic in the box" - Mariners writer discusses potential impact of Julio Rodriguez's slow start

Julio Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners are currently leading the AL West with a 40-30 season record after winning their recent series against the Chicago White Sox. However, Julio Rodriguez, one of their standout players, went hitless in his three at-bats during the Mariners' recent 2-1 win at T-Mobile Park.

Rodriguez, who was an All-Star invitee last year, is once again having a slow start this season, raising concerns for Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Divish appeared on "Foul Territory" and expressed his worry about him.

“I think he tried to do some few things different. He talked about it, wanting to be better with runners in scoring position, wanting to get after a better start,” Divish said.

“He looked, I mean, like, this is the most athletic player on the Mariners and one of the most athletic players in baseball, and he looked really unathletic in the box.”

Additionally, Divish believes that changing Rodriguez's workout plan midway through the season, especially after sticking with it throughout the offseason, may not be a good approach.

“What happened was he’s trying to find maybe what he was doing [wrong] last year, and that’s not easy to do when you spent an entire offseason working on one and then you’re trying to make fixes during the season while you guys are attacking,” he added.

Rodriguez has appeared in 70 games, recording 25 RBIs and 33 runs with five home runs with his current stat line at .268/.318/.344 with a .662 OPS.

Julio Rodriguez is making a comeback from his slumping phase

The Seattle Mariners are currently leading the AL West Division with an eight-game margin over the second-placed Texas Rangers (32-35) thanks to the Houston Astros’ slow start and the inconsistency of other division teams. Their recent series against the White Sox has put them in a strong position.

Meanwhile, despite his early struggles, Julio Rodriguez has been giving his all for the team. Since facing the Kansas City Royals last week, he seems to have found his rhythm.

In the last five games (excluding Wednesday), Julio Rodriguez went 7-for-21 and scored six runs with at least a hit in every game. While this wasn't enough to secure a win against the Royals, it does hint at a potential return to form for the 23-year-old Dominican All-Star.