Crawford returns to Mariners' lineup, but Young remains in leadoff spot

ARLINGTON -- J.P. Crawford returned to the Mariners’ lineup on Saturday after missing four games, but notably, he was not reinstalled at the leadoff spot.

Instead, Cole Young remained atop the order as part of a mini-shakeup that could be semipermanent.

After all, Seattle is looking to get anything going with its scuffling offense.

“We talked about it today,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said before the second game in this critical four-game series against the Rangers. “And as always, we continue to talk about it with our guys as things change and develop. And yeah, it's always a conversation.”

Crawford was back at third base and in the No. 8 spot, the lowest he’s hit in the order all season, though it’s not completely unfamiliar territory. For much of last year after the Trade Deadline, he was in the No. 8 or No. 9 spot.

Young hit leadoff in two of the four games that Crawford was sidelined with left wrist soreness, each against a right-handed starter like Texas’ Nathan Eovaldi on Saturday.

For the season, Young has a .333 on-base percentage in 51 plate appearances when leading off, which is below Crawford’s .356 OBP in that spot.

But overall, the 22-year-old has excelled more than his veteran mentor in every other category, with a slash line of .256/.314/.403 (.717 OPS) compared to Crawford’s .215/.338/.352 (.690 OPS).

“Cole has swung the bat well and has done a great job when he's been there,” Wilson said. “J.P., I think, with the wrist, a good idea to keep him a little bit lower at this point. And so, Cole was swinging the bat really well last night. He just continues to do the things and swing the bat like he does. He uses the whole field and is able to take advantage of mistakes. And I think he will fit well there.”

Elsewhere on the injury front, Wilson didn’t rule out the possibility of Brendan Donovan joining the Mariners for their upcoming series at Dodger Stadium that begins on Tuesday.

But Donovan and his wife, Aly, are on the verge of welcoming their second child, which could impact his timeline by a few days.

“I think there's a chance, yeah,” Wilson said. “I think, obviously, it's kind of a play and then kind of evaluate. But I think we'll just continue to evaluate as he goes. Just a couple more games here, I think, for sure.”

More than anything, it’ll be how Donovan continues to recover from the left groin strain that’s sidelined him since May 17, as the Mariners want his return to be permanent.

In six games on a Minors rehab assignment, Donovan is 0-for-21 with one walk and eight strikeouts. He was at designated hitter for his first two games then has played one game apiece at second base, third base, right field and left field -- in anticipation of moving to a super-utility role.