Carl Crawford was the Dodgers’ primary left fielder prior to landing on the disabled list in late May with a left ankle sprain, but now he’s a really expensive bench player.
The Dodgers have officially activated Crawford from the disabled list for tonight’s game against Padres. However, now that Matt Kemp has taken over as the regular left fielder, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly doesn’t plan on making any changes with his lineup. This means that Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Yasiel Puig will remain the regular outfield alignment on most days.
Crawford was told by Mattingly he wouldn't play much in the immediate future. Crawford said he understood the situation.
— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) July 10, 2014
Crawford, 32, was batting .267/.293/.400 with four home runs, 18 RBI, and nine stolen bases over 44 games prior to the injury. He’s still owed around $10 million for the remainder of this season, $20.25 million in 2015, $20.75 million in 2016, and $21 million in 2017.