Commentary: Julio Rodríguez’s decision to skip MLB All-Star Game is right call

It’s hard to be Julio.

It has to be, right? He is — or was — the 24-year-old face of a perpetually underperforming franchise, tasked with carrying an eternally lackluster lineup. He is the smiling, swaggering sun upon which everyone else is supposed to orbit. He is 228 pounds of terrifying potential, of enormous expectations and even bigger backlash. He is a Home Run Derby darling … who only occasionally hits home runs. He is a fan base’s greatest hope or disappointment, depending on the day.

He is the Mariners’ $209.3 Million Dollar Man.

He is also a human.

That’s easy to forget.

Still, it’s the first thing I thought Friday, when a 36-word email from the Mariners entered my inbox.

Julio Rodríguez who was voted into the 2025 All-Star Game via the players ballot, will not be able to participate this year. He will take the break to recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.

Who knows why Seattle’s center fielder decided to skip Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game. After all, “recuperation” comes in many forms. Maybe he’s physically fatigued from starting 91 of a possible 93 games entering Friday. Maybe it’s mental, the weight of another forgettable first half corroding his resolve. Maybe it’s something else entirely. In the wake of a home invasion May 1, Julio said “it was very difficult at times to be out there [on the field],” a reminder that public figures have private hurdles, too.

Maybe he’d prefer to invest extra hours addressing his ailing swing, rather than posing for pictures and playing an inning of an exhibition game.

Maybe it’s all, or none, of the above. We aren’t owed an explanation.

Who are we to question that decision when we don’t know what prompted it?

But on social media Friday, Julio wrote: “As much as I’d love to be out there, I want to take this time to take care of my body and fully prepare for the second half of the season. It’s definitely tough to miss out on the All-Star experience, but I’ll be cheering on all the guys and wishing them and their families an amazing week.”

“All the guys” include four teammates — catcher Cal Raleigh, closer Andrés Muñoz, starting pitcher Bryan Woo and left fielder Randy Arozarena (who was added to replace Julio). It’s just the fifth time five Mariners have been selected, and the most since sending five in 2002.

And yet … Seattle needs another sizzling second half from Julio. Like in 2024, when he slashed .285/.336/.482 with 10 homers and 33 RBI after the break. Or 2023, when he erupted for a .308/.363/.578 slash line with 19 homers, 54 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Or 2022, when he slashed .303/.361/.576 to help power the Mariners to a long-awaited wild-card spot.

Second-half Julio is a superstar, an AL Rookie of the Year and a potential MVP, a two-time Silver Slugger, a behemoth upon which you build an empire.

At least, that’s who he’s been.

But not before the break.

Rodríguez opened Seattle’s weekend series at Detroit (59-35) with one lonely homer in his past 40 games. He sat tied for 44th in baseball in FanGraphs WAR (2.2), 70th in RBI (44), 79th in homers (11), 115th in wRC+ (98, where 100 is league average) and 125th in OPS (.687). He was hitting .207 — including two homers and 22 strikeouts — with runners in scoring position, and his ground-ball rate (50.5%) was the 10th-highest in the game. He was 5 for 41 (.122) with two RBI and 13 strikeouts in his past 10 games.

Plus, though he earned an All-Star nod thanks in part to prodigious defense, Julio committed two errors in the Yankees’ three-game sweep this week.

After wasting Woo’s near no-hitter and blowing a 5-0 lead in Thursday’s 6-5 collapse, Seattle (48-45) fell out of the American League’s third wild-card spot. In a league filled with flawed rosters fighting over postseason seats, the Mariners are aggressively, alarmingly average.

As the trade deadline approaches, they need power-hitting corner infielders and capable relievers to plug holes in an already dented dinghy. They need a recovering starting rotation to deliver consistent results.

But perhaps more than anything, they need second-half Julio.

They need more Mariners to help Raleigh, the breakthrough bopper Rodríguez was/is expected to be.

Which, again, can’t be easy.

That doesn’t excuse Rodríguez’s erratic results. The three-time All-Star is paid to play like one, regardless of the pressure or spotlight accompanying his salary. Regardless of his organization’s inability to surround him with help. Regardless of the bubbling criticism — he didn’t deserve to be an All-Star, he should be dropped in the order, he’s overrated, etc. — from frustrated fans on social media. Regardless of the considerable context that follows him onto the field.

If a break can begin to mend any of the above, then that’s the right decision.

It’s hard to be Julio.

Maybe four days of — what’s the word? — “recuperation” will help.