WASHINGTON -- J.P. Crawford spent much of Sunday morning in the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park sandwiched between two youngsters he’s deliberately brought under his wing.
On his left was Ryan Bliss, inactive after being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma earlier this week, and to his right was Colt Emerson, the 20-year-old sensation who’s filled in for Crawford at shortstop while the veteran has been on the injured list.
And it sounds like Emerson might not be moving off the premium position once Crawford returns.
That will come Tuesday, when the 31-year-old veteran is first eligible to be activated, having fully recovered from the right hand contusion he sustained when being hit by a 95.6 mph fastball from Framber Valdez on June 5. Crawford has been able to comfortably grip a bat -- and swing -- throughout Seattle’s three-game series in Washington, which was the last hurdle of his return to full health.
But the more telling development has been where he’s taken infield drills -- almost exclusively at third base -- which began earlier this week in Baltimore.
“I feel great over there,” Crawford said. “I don’t know what the plan is, but I already said that I’m willing to do that. And I’m feeling great over there. [Emerson] has been great over there [at shortstop]. So yeah, we’ll see where it goes.”
When Crawford first pitched the idea the morning that Emerson was called up four weeks ago, it was a great story -- of the longest-tenured player in a contract year willing to move off a premium position. But behind the scenes, the Mariners viewed it as just that. The club had trepidation about how his arm strength would translate for the longer throws necessary, as well as the hiccups he’d had at shortstop.
In Statcast’s fielding run value, Crawford is tied for third lowest among 62 qualified shortstops (minus-6), while his arm strength ranks in the 20th percentile (79 mph average of his top 5% of throws).
Seattle’s thinking, however, has changed -- primarily because of the work Crawford has put in at third over the past month. Even before the injury, it was the position where he was taking most of his infield work .
And being able to go through those drills is a big reason why he remained on this three-city, 10-game road trip despite the chance to return to Seattle after suffering the injury during the first game of this East Coast weave.
That, and to be with his guys.
“I’m ready to go,” Crawford said of his right hand, the same one that he fractured on a hit-by-pitch in July of 2024. “It finally feels normal, so yeah, I’m ready to rock.”
Longer term, how third base shakes out will also hinge on Brendan Donovan, who was the corresponding move when Emerson was called up. Donovan has been rehabbing at the club’s Spring Training facility during his second IL stint due to a left groin muscle strain. A more thorough update will come on Tuesday from general manager Justin Hollander.
The club has said Donovan will likely transition to more of a utility role upon returning, but it’s unclear if those plans have also changed. Miles Mastrobuoni is currently in that role, and like Donovan, also hits left-handed. He was at third base for the third straight game on Sunday.
Regardless, Emerson is here to stay.
Aside from a back spasm that sidelined him three games in Baltimore, he’s played every inning of every game, and the Mariners are 13-9 when he plays. Moreover, he’s flashed all five tools as plus -- and is clearly their best defensive shortstop.
“I think he’s finally starting to get comfortable,” Crawford said. “It’s a big life adjustment. He’s just finally started to settle in, and you’re starting to see what he’s capable of doing every day, and it’s really cool to see.”
Elsewhere on the injury front, Randy Arozarena (left hamstring soreness) was expectedly out of Sunday’s lineup, but did go through a few drills with Seattle’s athletic training staff. He appears to have avoided a serious injury and remains day to day.
Also, Cal Raleigh (right oblique strain) homered twice on Saturday at Triple-A Tacoma -- with all signs pointing to him also being activated on Tuesday.
The Mariners have a few notable decisions upon returning home, leading with backup catcher Jhonny Pereda, who’s been a solid contributor. But they appear to be closer on a call for how to deploy Crawford, who hasn’t played third base since he was a consensus top-five prospect in 2017.