Phillies prospect shortstop J.P. Crawford will miss the remainder of the Arizona Fall League due to a slight ligament tear in his left thumb.
According to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, Crawford suffered the injury while making a tag in a game last week. Fortunately, it’s not considered serious and Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan said he’s expected to be ready for spring training:
“It’s a very, very slight tear in the UCL ligament in his left thumb,” Jordan said. “It’s so slight they had to read the MRI three times to find it. Surgery is not necessary but he is in a splint and will be immobilized for three to four weeks so his AFL season is over.”
Ranked No. 5 in Baseball America’s midseason prospect list, Crawford batted .288/.380/.414 with six home runs, 42 RBI, and 12 steals over 107 games this season between High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He turns 21 in January and likely isn’t far off from making an impact in the majors.