Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford placed on 10-day IL with ankle sprain, will miss ‘a couple weeks’
For nearly three weeks in May, the Seattle Mariners got a glimpse of how productive the central piece of their middle infield could be after recalling shortstop J.P. Crawford from Triple-A Tacoma.
For now, the future is on hold again. After spraining his left ankle in a rundown during Tuesday night’s loss to Texas, Crawford has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Mariners manager Scott Servais said Wednesday his up-and-coming shortstop is likely out for “a couple weeks.”
“It’s not a high ankle sprain,” Servais said. “Anytime you roll your ankle you stress the ligaments, but everything should be OK. We’re hopeful it might be a couple weeks. I think with (how) he went down, and everybody’s initial thoughts, we’re lucky that it’s not worse than that.”
In the eighth inning, with the Mariners trailing by seven runs, center fielder Mallex Smith beat out a two-out grounder to first for an infield single with Crawford and rookie Shed Long both on base. Crawford scooted into third, but Long overshot second base on the play causing Crawford to start inching toward home to free up the base.
Texas third baseman Asdrubel Cabrera started chasing Long back to second, prompting Crawford to switch directions and head back toward third. But, Cabrera spun around and beat Crawford back to the bag. Crawford maneuvered to try to avoid the tag, severely turning his ankle, and falling to the ground.
He was helped off the field by Servais and others, replaced by Tim Beckham on defense in the ninth, and was on crutches Wednesday morning. Rookie utility player Dylan Moore was recalled from Tacoma in a corresponding roster move.
“I talked to him after the game last night, and stuff happens,” Servais said. “He didn’t look down or anything. It’ll still be hard for him to sit and watch the next couple weeks, because he’s kind of working his way into being a real contributor, and feels like (he’s) a part of things out here. But, he’ll be back out there soon enough.”
Crawford recorded two hits in the game, including an RBI single, and a walk before the injury. He has hit 17-for-61 (.279) in 17 games with the Mariners since his promotion from Tacoma on May 10. He reached base safely in 15 of those games, and hit safely in 13.
“I feel good, I feel comfortable,” Crawford said recently. “Definitely, day by day, getting more comfortable.”
But, beyond the numbers, Servais said he was most impressed with how Crawford has carried himself since returning to the big leagues.
“You’ve got to play well, obviously, at the big-league level, but I told him when he got here this isn’t going to be about how many hits he gets or the great plays he makes in the field, it’s how he carries himself,” Servais said. “Can he be consistent every day? These guys in the middle of the field are so important — your catcher, your shortstop, your center fielder — they’re involved with so much that goes on in the game. ...
“How you carry yourself really means a lot to me. I told him that the first day he got here and he nailed it. And he was playing great on top of it.”
Crawford has also been a stabilizing presence in the middle infield, committing just two errors in 144 innings and truning eight double plays, and credits working with Mariners infield coach Perry Hill on fundamentals during the offseason for his positive production there.
“He really saved my career,” Crawford said. “He kind of just simplified everything up, and then it picked up right from there. We worked in January, and he gave me some stuff to work on, and it helped me so much.”
Servais said Crawford has taken charge in the infield, particularly recently helping second baseman Long, a rookie filling in for injured veteran Dee Gordon, find the right placement.
“This is J.P., who’s 24, and he wants to be that guy to lead,” Servais said. “He’ll be back out there in a couple weeks, and we’ll get him going again. A lot of encouraging signs from him. He is stabilizing things defensively for us.”
While Crawford is out, Beckham and Moore, who has appeared in 29 games with the Mariners in two separate stints this season, will share time at shortstop. Both could also see time at second, with Gordon (wrist) still out.
“We’ll move it around a little bit,” Servais said.
Beckham started at short in Wednesday’s series-ending loss to Texas, finishing 1-for-4 with a two-run home run.
LONG SETTLING IN
Long returned to Tacoma earlier this month after going hitless in his first three MLB appearances. But, after being promoted again on May 21, he has put together a seven-game hitting streak.
“I’m in a good spot,” Long said. “I like how I’m feeling. I like how I’m sticking to my approach, especially today. I told my dad last night, told the coaches this morning, that I made a couple adjustments watching a little video. I’m just trying to go in and have good at-bats and trying to help the team win.”
He said recording the first hit of his career last week in Arlington helped his bat heat up.
“It was good seeing that first hit,” Long said. “It was just a little weight off of my shoulders. Domingo (Santana) told me, ‘Now you can just play baseball,’ so it was definitely good seeing that first hit fall and get through, and it’s just time to keep it rolling.”
Long doubled twice — his first multi-hit game — and walked twice in Wednesday’s loss, and scored two runs. He is hitting 8-for-24 (.333) in this stint with the Mariners, and has posted five doubles.
“Shed’s getting comfortable,” Servais said. “His at-bats are good, he’s staying aggressive. He’s certainly got double, home run-type power. Great to see there.”
STREAKY HANIGER
Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger ranks near the top of the American League in two polarizing categories. He has 14 home runs, which are tied for seventh, but he’s also tied for the AL lead in strikeouts with 72.
As streaky as Haniger has been — he’s struck out at least once in 44 of his 55 appearances this season, and returned to the dugout empty handed six times in the two games he played against Texas — he picked a key spot in Wednesday’s loss to bust out of his recent slump, launching a two-run homer that collided with the left foul pole to give Seattle a 7-5 lead.
“Needed it,” Servais said. “He’s been scuffling a little bit. We’re all pulling for him. It was a big hit in the ballgame.”
The home run was also No. 100 for the Mariners this season, who trail only Minnesota for the MLB lead, and are the second team in the majors to register triple-digit homers this season. Daniel Vogelbach (15), Haniger, Jay Bruce (13) and Edwin Encarnacion (13) all rank among the top 10 in the AL in homers.
Seattle’s 100 homers in 58 games marks the second-fewest games needed in club history to reach the century point. The 1999 Mariners needed 50 games to reach 100 dingers.
This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 12:06 PM.
