JP Crawford's Return Gives Seattle Mariners Much-Needed Depth
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners starting and former Gold Glove award-winning shortstop JP Crawford will make his return for the team for a rubber match against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
There will be a lot of questions for when Crawford takes the field for the first time in over a month after breaking his pinky.
How will Crawford look in the field? How will Crawford perform on offense? Will the lead-off spot continue to be as productive as it was with Crawford slotted in compared to when Victor Robles started the order?
All of these questions will likely be answered on Wednesday and on Seattle's subsequent 10-game road trip.
JP Crawford doing some fielding work before his first game back.#Mariners #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/kBF0KWm1Fh
— Teren Kowatsch (@Teren_Kowatsch) August 28, 2024
One thing that's not up for debate — Crawford's back. And his return gives the Mariners some much-needed depth. Robles dropped down to ninth in the lineup with Crawford's return — a spot that's been occupied by Leo Rivas, who has been filling in admirably at shortstop during Crawford's absence.
Rivas' play gives Seattle some leeway to bring Crawford along slowly and keep him rested. It also allowed there to be a two-man rotation of capable hitters at the top and bottom of the order with the combination of Rivas and Robles at the bottom and Crawford and Robles at the top.
"(The lead-off spot) is where (Crawford's) been in our lineup," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Wednesday. "He's got such leadership with our guys and having him back, having him back in a familiar place in the lineup, as well, I think is what we need. And we're looking forward to getting him back in there (Wednesday). ... I think we saw the excitement that Victor brings. He's a fun player to watch. He's a guy that really can make things happen and we love having him on the bases. Having both those guys in the lineup is going to be big. And it's nice we have that double-lead-off position now with Robles and JP. Hopefully that will get some things going offensively."
There's 29 games left in the season and rosters are set to expand across the lead as many teams, including Seattle, prepare for final postseason pushes.
If Crawford and Robles can continue to play at the level they've shown to be capable of throughout their respective seasons, it will likely be a huge bump for the Mariners playoff aspirations.
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TEREN KOWATSCH