J.P.

Crawford

Crawford missed two games over the weekend after being hit by a pitch by Framber Valdez on Friday. The shortstop had been heating up at the plate, so this is unfortunate timing, but all x-rays came back negative, so it should be a minimum stint on the injured list. Colt Emerson figures to continue to start at shortstop with Ryan Bliss and Patrick Wisdom getting reps at third base.

Crawford was drilled on the hand by Framber Valdez on Friday night and has now missed each of the next two games. While X-rays came back negative for any fractures, he’s still dealing with a bit of pain and swelling in his hand. Colt Emerson will once again slide over and cover shortstop while Patrick Wisdom will start at third base and bat seventh for the M’s.

No surprise here after Crawford was hit by a 95.6 mph fastball in the third inning of Friday’s series opener in Detroit. The encouraging news is that X-rays came back negative and he’s considered day-to-day. Top prospect Colt Emerson takes over at shortstop in his absence with Patrick Wisdom getting a turn at the hot corner.

Crawford was removed from Friday night’s tilt against the Tigers in Detroit after he was plunked on the hand by Framber Valdez. Fortunately, he was able to avoid any significant injury. He’s considered day-to-day and could rejoin the M’s lineup as early as Saturday.

Crawford got his squad going with a first inning home run, but that would stand as their only run in this loss. After a double and single that followed, he had an at-bat in the seventh needing just a triple for the cycle. Not in the spirit of the moment, he watched three strikes for a backwards K. Yet, that home run was his third in his last seven games and his 10 are only two shy of the 12 he hit all of last season. He’s also hit lead-off in 12 straight games and is a solid deep league asset.

In addition to the two homers, Crawford — who has not exactly wowed with his defense over the past few years — also made a game-saving play on a diving stop in the top of the tenth. He came around to score his fourth run of the game in the bottom of the frame on a walk-off hit from Randy Arozarena. Crawford has homered nine times in 2026 while forging a solid .741 OPS. He’s a much different player at this stage of his career, but the power and plate skills make him worthy of roster consideration.

Emerson is hitting .143 (2-for-14) with one homer and three RBI across five games since being promoted to the big leagues last weekend. The 20-year-old top prospect figures to split time between shortstop and the hot corner along with veteran J.P. Crawford for the rest of the season. He’s one of the most exciting young middle infielders in the game, but he’s probably not ready at this stage of his development to be an impactful fantasy contributor. With that caveat out of the way, he’s the type of elite talent that could make a leap rather quickly once he finds his footing at the highest level.

Crawford is expected to see action at the hot corner with top prospect Colt Emerson in the majors until further notice. The 31-year-old infielder returned to Seattle’s lineup for Friday’s series opener following a two-game absence due to a lingering triceps issue. It’s worth noting that he was back at shortstop with Emerson at the hot corner on Friday night.

Crawford indicated that he’s open to switching positions with Colt Emerson up, and the Mariners probably ought to take him up on it. For now, though, he’s still day-to-day after getting hit by a pitch in Sunday’s game.

Crawford was in the lineup for Monday’s series opener against Chicago after suffering a triceps contusion when he was hit by a pitch over the weekend. He’ll get some extra rest in this one with Colt Emerson making his first start at shortstop. The big question is what happens to his playing time once Brendan Donovan (groin) is back from the injured list now that Emerson has ascended to the majors. the 31-year-old impending free agent figures to cede some playing time to the top prospect over the final few months of the year.